


Marked

by LOTSlover



Series: Revenge Series [2]
Category: Legend of the Seeker
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-24
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-16 00:57:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 121,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/855941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LOTSlover/pseuds/LOTSlover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Marked  
AUTHOR: LOTSlove®  
CHARACTERS: Richard / Kahlan / Cara / Zedd / Original Characters  
RATING: PG-16 / R later  
WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings  
TIMELINE: Anything up through S2  
DISCLAIMER: I’m completely obsessed with the show Legend of the Seeker and all things Richard and Kahlan. I love to write about them even though they cancelled my show and now I’m fighting to get it back!

SUMMARY: Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

 

Chapter 1

Outside of the large double doors, two D’Haran soldiers stood guard, their enormous arms bared, their bronzed flesh riddled with unsightly battle scars that were proudly worn badges of honor. It meant that they had survived, the enemy had not. Each had a hand resting on the hilts of their swords, ever ready to defend at a moment’s notice, their eyes constantly watching. 

Morning sunlight slowly began to illuminate the empty corridors, a sudden sense of quiet tranquility at last blanketing the Palace. It was so incongruous to the endless string of horrifying screams that had been pouring from the suite for the last several hours. Neither had thought that a human being was even capable of making such wretched sounds like that before in their lives. Now they knew different.

Although hardened in battle and tested by steel, the continual cries for help and endless shrieks coming from the woman inside had sent shivers up their spines. It had been difficult to listen to hour after hour even for them, but they knew better than to interfere. Their punishment would have been worse than hers by tenfold at least.

Lord Demos Rahl had taken his frustration out on that poor young woman all night long, pouring all of his rage over the Seeker and Mother Confessor onto her. Her only crime had been having dark hair like Kahlan Amnell, of being untouched before this night. 

And now, she’d be lucky if she survived the encounter.

\-----------

He rolled off of her with a self-satisfied grunt, sweat glistening on his neck and back. Her soft whimpering cry filled his ears, stirring his rage again. He always thrived on their terrified screams, deriving great pleasure from their panic-stricken cries of pain, the way that some of them fought back, but it was their pathetic whining afterwards that always managed to draw his wrath.

If this had been the Mother Confessor instead of just some common girl from the city, she wouldn’t be acting like this, so weak and helpless. Kahlan Amnell was strong, an adversary more than worthy of him. He was more than anxious to have her in his bed. He would be the one to tame her, to show her what true ecstasy with a man could be like. He would have her before Richard.

“You may be quite pretty… but you are not Kahlan Amnell,” he spat out with great disdain as he fought to catch his breath. “You can lie on the floor like a dog while I sleep.”

The young woman shook violently, hot tears leaking from her eyes. She bit her bottom lip as she numbly stared at the ceiling. She felt as though she had literally been ripped in two, blood soaking the sheets beneath her. She didn’t know which part of her hurt worse, how much of her was even left anymore. He had taken everything she had, stripped her of everything that she was. There was nothing left for him to take from her.

She felt nauseous. She wanted to vomit, but knew she didn’t dare. She didn’t want to draw any more of his ire. Even though he had been brutalizing her for hours, she didn’t want to find out how much longer he could sustain it.

He had viciously taken at will over and over again, the hellish nightmare never ending with the degrading things that he had done to her, acts that he had forced her to perform for him. She’d been dragged out of her bed in the middle of the night, tearing her away from her family and loved ones. 

She swore she could still hear the panic in her mother’s cries, her father’s threatening demands to let his daughter go. How would she ever be able to face her family again after what had just happened to her?

“I said get out of this bed!” he roared, sitting up. “I don’t need you anymore. I’ve taken what I wanted.”

“I…I can’t…move…” she hoarsely cried. “Please…help me…I’m bleeding. I need a healer.”

“You’re pathetic. You don’t deserve my help,” he hissed. “You’re nothing but used goods now. Get out!”

Gritting her teeth, she somehow summoned the strength to move, her limbs trembling as she shifted to the edge of the bed. Her head fell back as agonizing pain raked through her entire body, stealing the breath from her lungs. She bit her bottom lip again, her teeth breaking through the skin as she forced back the sob that suddenly rose up from within.

Her throat was raw from her continuous screams, her head pounding like a hammer on an anvil. Every muscle cried out in pain as she allowed herself to finally just fall off the edge of the bed, landing hard on the floor with a thud. 

She opened her mouth to scream from the excruciating pain that seared through her like hot knives, but nothing came out. Tears continued to stream down her face as she fought to catch her breath. She knew several ribs were broken along with other bones. It would take a gifted healer to be able to put her back together again. 

With great effort, she lifted her head to finally look down at herself, catching a glimpse of her naked body. She was covered in blood, dark purple bruises already marring her skin. Scratches as well as deep bite marks formed irregular patterns all over her flesh. Had been like a savage animal that had been unleashed upon her.

She laid her head back against the cold marble floor as she softly cried, wanting nothing more than to just die at that moment. There was nothing more degrading or more dehumanizing than this, being completely stripped of who she was as a person. No one would ever want her now, would never want to marry a woman who had been so brutally raped. How could she ever share herself with a man after this?

As a girl, she had always dreamed of the day that she would meet the man that would win her heart, would love her like her father loved her mother. She’d had her wedding day planned out long before she would ever meet the man of her dreams.

Now…now all of that was nothing more than a foolish childhood fantasy, suddenly as dead as she now felt inside.

She gingerly curled up on her side, sucking in a sharp breath as she pulled her aching legs up to her chest in an effort to make herself as small as possible. She wished more than anything that a hole would just split open in the floor and swallow her up, taking her away from this life that had so suddenly gone from hopeful dreams for her future to a living nightmare.

The Lord Rahl had called her Kahlan over and over again as he had hit her, kissed her, and took what was not his to take. She didn’t know who this Kahlan woman was, but she was absolutely terrified for her, for the horrifying things that awaited her. 

She somehow knew deep inside that what she had just suffered would be nothing compared to the pure torment Lord Demos Rahl had in store for her.

XXX

Richard watched as the sun began to break over the horizon, muted pastel shades of light stretching like fingers as it blanketed the earth in a wash of wondrous colors. It was so beautiful, so unlike the tangle of tormented thoughts that besieged him; dark and foreboding and causing fear like he’d never known before to still churn like a cyclone in his soul despite having his Confessor back with him again. 

He gently raked his fingers through her long dark hair as she slept in his arms, pausing to lean down to kiss the top of her head again for the hundredth time since finding her. He had held her all night long, never once letting go of her despite the stiffness that had settled over his body. It had been a sweet reprieve from the hell his life had been for the last week. 

Despite holding her, he was still having difficulty believing that this was all real, that she was finally safe from the Underworld and here with him. Her death had haunted his sleep, the painful hollowness that he had felt inside for so long still a faint lingering reminder of what had happened to her. He didn’t know if the wounds from losing her would ever truly heal, a painful scar forever etched on his heart, but if anyone could help him heal, it was Kahlan. 

The events of the last week had changed him in a way that he couldn’t have begun to imagine, hardening his heart with a powerful thirst for revenge, a deep-seated hatred the likes of which he’d never experienced before. 

He had never felt anything like it until he had lost Kahlan, had never known such a hunger like this that demanded to be sated. It was almost as if it had coalesced with his rage and his anguish, fusing and morphing into something unrecognizable, taking on a life of its own.

It still terrified him to think that he was even capable of feeling such dark hostile emotions. He had experienced it when he had been with the Minders, but this was different somehow. This was out of a deep-seated necessity to protect the woman who owned his heart. The powerful magic of the sword had awakened the monster inside of him, but Kahlan’s death had breathed new life into it.

It didn’t help that he couldn’t shake the dreadful feeling inside of him that this was far from over. Even when he closed his eyes, he could still see the way that Demos had leered at Kahlan, the vile lust that had suddenly awakened within his brother, his demand that she stay with him echoing in his ears.

He never should have listened to Zedd, leaving his wicked brother alive like he had. He should have killed him when he’d had the chance. Then this would all be over. They wouldn’t be looking over their shoulders, wondering when Demos would strike again when they still needed to find the Stone of Tears and stop the Keeper.

“No…stop!” she suddenly cried out in a raspy hiss, her fists clenched tight as she pushed at Richard’s chest with what little strength she had left. “Don’t…don’t touch me!”

“Kahlan, it’s me…it’s Richard,” he calmly tried to soothe her. “You’re alright now.”

She had fought with him several times throughout the night, battling the Underworld in her sleep and in turn him as well. It hurt him to see her so terrified, fighting so hard to escape something that gripped her in her dreams, something that he had no way of stopping for her. He wanted more than anything to banish the demons that haunted her.

Kahlan seemed to relax then, her breathing evening out again as sleep dragged her further into its depths once more. He gently rubbed her back, hoping that the nightmares wouldn’t follow her again this time, but knew that he was truly helpless to prevent it.

His heart was heavy with fear over Kahlan, his mind consumed with stopping Demos and his body beyond exhausted. He had slept little, too afraid that if he closed his eyes for too long, she would disappear. 

“You know you two can’t lie there together like that all day.”

The sardonic tone of Cara’s voice suddenly broke through the sweet relief of having Kahlan in his arms again. He wasn’t about to give her up any time soon. “Cara, I just got the woman I love more than life itself back from the dead not once, but twice,” he softly replied, not wanting to wake Kahlan. “I think I more than deserve this time with her.”

“She’s not even awake,” she pointed out. “Besides, your new brother is planning Creator only knows what right now to get revenge on you. And then there’s that other little matter with the Keeper and a certain lost stone.”

Closing his eyes, Richard pressed his lips to Kahlan’s forehead, concerned with how cold her skin still was to his touch. He reluctantly released his hold on her as he got up, hating to let go of her. With her was where he always wanted to be even more so now than ever.

Kneeling down, he adjusted the blanket around her shoulders, his name a soft sigh in the midst of her restless sleep. It brought a small smile to his face to hear his name on her beautiful lips, warming his heart like only she ever could. He tenderly laid his hand on her head, softly stroking her hair until she finally settled back down once more.

Moving to the other side of the campfire, Richard sat down with a weary sigh. He rubbed his face with his hands, fighting the fatigue that clung to him. He needed to come up with a plan, a way to return to their quest while at the same time avoiding any more interference from his brother. 

Cara settled down beside him, watching as he reached for a stick, poking the fire until a fountain of orange sparks shot up into the sky. She could feel his fear rolling off of him in fierce waves, the simmering rage that he was doing his best to control. 

There was an edge about him that had been there ever since Kahlan had died in his arms on the way back to the People’s Palace, an icy hardness in his eyes that left her feeling a little unnerved for some reason. He was like a man who was about to break, still teetering precariously on the edge of madness even though he had Kahlan safely back.

“Are you alright?” she asked, taking him off guard.

“I’m fine,” he frowned, taken aback by her concern for him. “Why?”

Cara pursed her lips as she stared at him. “You don’t look fine. You look terrible.”

Richard released a ragged breath. “I’m just still worried about Kahlan.”

Cara knew that was the majority of it, but there was something more than that was consuming him. “I think we should move soon,” she said, keeping her voice low in an effort to keep from waking Kahlan. “We’ve more than worn out our welcome here. We’re pressing our luck the longer we stay here.”

“How’s Kahlan this morning?” Zedd suddenly asked as he entered the clearing to sit by the campfire.

“She’s exhausted,” Richard replied as he stared at her sleeping form on the other side of the clearing. “She can’t get any decent sleep when she keeps having night terrors all night long.”

“It’ll take some time for her to fully recover after everything that she’s been through,” the Wizard told him. “The blood she lost from that arrow alone should’ve been enough to keep her down, but she refused to stop until we got to you. I’m afraid that everything that happened with the Keeper’s spell has only made it that much harder for her to recover.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Richard frowned.

“It’s difficult to say when magic is involved like this. It could take a week at the very least, maybe two,” he admitted with a regretful sigh. “She shouldn’t be using her Confessor’s magic either. It’ll only sap what little strength she still has left.”

“We don’t have a couple of weeks,” Cara interjected as she knelt down by the fire to start breakfast. “Demos Rahl is going to be coming at us with everything he has especially now that he’s got his sights set on the Mother Confessor as well.”

“We’ll need to stick to the woods, stay away from roads where we can be easily spotted by patrolling soldiers,” Zedd suggested. “We aren’t going to be able to cover any great distances as weak as Kahlan is right now. Might be wise to find some horses if we can.”

Releasing a ragged breath, Richard leaned forward, his elbows coming to rest on his knees as he held his head in his hands. He was exhausted, frustrated, his heart storming with worry about Kahlan and the night terrors that continually haunted her sleep. The last week had been a living breathing nightmare the likes of which he never wanted to see ever again.

It felt as though life was pressing in on them from every angle, threatening to crush them and steal what he loved most. He could feel his resolve beginning to crumble within him, his strength failing him. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to whisk Kahlan away from here, to take her to Westland where they could just hide together in the mountains where no one would ever find them.

He knew those mountains, knew he could protect her there better than anywhere else. They could begin a new life together away from all of the pressure and the deadly dangers that lurked all around them. They could finally be married, start a family and live like an ordinary couple raising their daughters.

Unfortunately, he was far from ordinary, Kahlan nothing but extraordinary in every way imaginable. The heavy mantle of duty laid squarely on both of their shoulders, forcing them down a path that he found he no longer wanted to be on at that moment, knowing it could eventually take Kahlan away from him again.

Would they ever be free? Ever have a life filled with peace for once?

A gentle hand on his back broke through his tormented reverie, drawing him away from his fantasy and back to the trouble at hand. “Richard, whatever is going on, we’ll find a way to deal with it,” Zedd calmly told him.

The Seeker finally turned to look at him. “Something about this is all wrong,” he muttered, his brow knitted together in thought.

“And what would that be?” Cara snorted. “The fact that you have a new brother who’s just as evil as the last one or the fact that he now wants Kahlan instead of just you?”

“This!” he hissed as he suddenly leapt to his feet, raising his arms to indicate their surroundings. “This…it’s too quiet. There should be D’Haran soldiers swarming through these woods by now, but there hasn’t been one so far. Not one. Demos would not give up so easily, just let us go without some sort of fight.”

“Would you rather be fighting for your life against an entire D’Haran army right now?” she asked with an arched eyebrow.

“No, of course not,” he scowled as he began to pace. “Demos had planned out an elaborate attack to get to me before. He won’t stop until he has what he wants. He wouldn’t give up this easily.”

Zedd felt cold realization suddenly slice through him with what Richard was saying. “What do you think it means?”

“I don’t know, but I definitely don’t like it,” he spat out, knowing deep inside that they were in more trouble than they could possibly begin to imagine. “He’s up to something. I can feel it in my bones.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 2

With a relaxed sigh, he rose from his bath, water sluicing from his lean body and dripping onto the marble floor as he reached for a nearby towel. Demos took his time drying himself off, pausing momentarily to look at the water still sitting in the bath, tinged dark with blood. 

He found himself staring at it for a long moment, his mind suddenly drifting to thoughts of the Mother Confessor. A wicked smile spread across his face with the wonderfully delicious things that his mind was creating, the things that he couldn’t wait to do to her once she was finally his.

He would force his brother to watch at first, to witness what he was able to have with her that Richard couldn’t, to observe the woman that he loved so much being pleasured by another man. There would be no escaping the haunting sound of Kahlan’s cries, her screams of pleasure as he ravaged her for hours on end. Her cries would haunt Richard’s mind until the day that he was finally allowed to die.

And when he was finally done with her, Demos would be wearing her blood, the taste of her essence on his tongue. He would take her to the point of death, allowing her to be healed only so that he could take her all over again. Of course, she’d no longer by pure by then, but for her, he’d overlook that minor point. 

He felt his arousal growing harder the longer he dwelled on the thought, his pulse suddenly racing and his breath quickening, his mouth watering. He couldn’t allow himself to get excited just yet. The girl that he’d had last night had sufficed at the time, but it had not been Kahlan Amnell. 

No, the Mother Confessor would be a mighty force to be reckoned with, someone of great power just waiting to be dominated and broken. 

And he would be the one to do it; Richard helpless to watch.

He licked his lips at the plans that he had in store for her. He’d never met any other woman like her, so powerful and yet so extremely beautiful. Although their meeting had been all too brief, he had seen the strength and intensity in her bright blue eyes, the fire that had blazed there in those orbs. It had nearly shocked him senseless. 

She was almost his equal in almost every way and it intrigued him immensely. He had heard rumors about the great Mother Confessor, a deadly warrior and yet very much all woman, but he had paid it little attention. That was until he’d come face to face with the magnificent creature herself.

Even dead, she had managed to immediately capture his attention, arousing his curiosity as well as his lust and leaving him wanting so very much more. In that moment that her life had returned to her, her lungs expanding with that first breath, all of his lifelong dreams and plans for the future had drastically changed.

Finished with his towel, Demos tossed it aside, grabbing his robe and fastening it closed around his waist. He hoped he had given the servants enough time to remove the girl, clean and change the bedding. He didn’t want to have to witness her pathetic sniveling anymore. It only added to his impatience and irritation.

She should be grateful that she had been chosen to be taken to his bed, thrilled to have enjoyed his company and the pleasure that she had no doubt received from him. He was certain that she had derived more pleasure than he had though.

She had provided him a momentary reprieve, an outlet for his rage and lust. He did feel somewhat better, but he was quite certain it wasn’t because of her. Every passing moment only brought him closer to having what he now wanted more than anything in his entire life.

And none of them had the slightest clue as to what was about to happen, how their lives were about to unravel right before their very eyes.

Richard thought that he had been so clever switching that tooth with his own like he had, saving his precious Kahlan and bringing her back from the Underworld. And Demos had to admit that his brother had been quite cunning…to a point.

It had been an enormous gamble on the Seeker’s part, not knowing for certain whether his theory had been correct or not. It just happened that Richard had been right this time. He would not be so fortunate the next time they met.

So consumed with saving her, none of them had even noticed what he had done while he had worked to bring Kahlan back to the world of the living, a little bit of insurance just to make certain that he would indeed win in the end. 

He had warned Richard before he had even sent him to the Temple at Caspar that he was always prepared for any outcome and this time had been no different.

Demos frowned as he entered his bedchambers, finding a servant girl on her hands and knees scrubbing the blood off the marble floor where he had made the girl lay. He had hoped that they would have been finished by now.

“Are you almost done?” he demanded to know.

“Yes, my Lord,” the servant girl quickly replied, dipping her head and keeping her gaze lowered. She didn’t want to be subjected to the same torture that this poor girl had obviously endured by his hands.

“I want my meal brought up to me as soon as you’re finished,” he instructed her. “And send General Egremont to my quarters. I need to speak with him.”

There were many things that he had to do, preparations that needed to be made for Kahlan’s imminent arrival. And she would be returning to him very soon. Of that, he was most certain.

XXX

Richard stared at her as she slept, finding it more than difficult to take his eyes off of her. He was still so afraid that she’d be snatched away from him when he wasn’t looking, scared to even let go of her for fear of losing her again. 

He was more than thankful that Zedd and Cara had allowed him this time with her, keeping watch in the woods for signs of trouble while he watched over his Confessor as she slept. He needed to be with her, to take care of her like he had longed to do. Even though she was the powerful Mother Confessor, he couldn’t help but want to always take care of her.

He still felt the stinging pain of losing her throbbing deep inside of him, reminding him of the fragility of life…Kahlan’s life. It felt like he’d never be rid of the ugly horror of it, the anguish that had consumed him and had become his constant companion. It refused to leave even though Kahlan was alive once more. 

He’d believed for so long that he had lost her forever. Now that she was safe again with him, he found he couldn’t bear to tear his eyes off of her, to not touch her, kiss her.

It felt at times as though he was being held beneath the water’s surface, unable to draw a breath as the weight of his fears pushed him further and further below its gloomy depths. He knew, though, that the reassurance of her tender touch, her love, would keep him going and, in time, would eventually heal his heart. 

But he had to figure out what Demos was up to if he was going to be able to keep her safe. There was something about all of this that just felt so very wrong. Their escape had been far too easy, the night far too quiet. It did little, however, to settle the already brewing tempest of fear that consumed his soul.

Something that his brother had said to him kept creeping back into his mind, refusing to let go of him. Just before he had been sent to the Temple at Caspar to find the tooth, Demos had told him that he never went into anything without knowing all of the facts, never liked to be caught off guard, but always prepared for any outcome.

He had also said that Kahlan was supposed to have been captured with him as well. He had planned on using her to get to him all along, to force him to do what he had wanted. Kahlan had been part of his plan along. Maybe she still was in some twisted way.

Richards stood to his feet in a rush of heated emotion, raking his fingers back through his hair. He hated this waiting and wondering what was going to happen next, when Demos would suddenly strike again. And he would be coming. Of that, he was more than certain.

He made his way back over to where Kahlan was still sleeping, kneeling down beside her. He watched the subtle flutter of her eyelashes, the gentle curve of her nose, the shape of her beautiful lips. There was not one thing about her that he didn’t love, didn’t adore about her.

She always set his heart to pounding, his desire for her heating his blood like no one he had met before ever could. He wanted to be with her more than anything in this world, making her his forever. He wanted her to belong to him, for him to belong to her alone.

And he would do whatever it took for that dream to become a sweet reality for them, even sacrificing himself on the alter of her magic if necessary to prove to her once and for all that he did not fear her touch. She could not take anything from him because she had captured every part of him so long ago.

There was nothing that he had held back from him except for his body and he was desperate to share that with her too. He knew with his whole being that giving her all of him was the key to being able to love her beyond her magic.

Now, he just needed to convince her.

XXX

Kahlan fought to catch her breath that the pain searing through her body was stealing away from her, but it was no use. It felt as though she was on fire from the inside out, her throat scorched and raw from the magic that Rahl was pouring into her.

Lying on her stomach, she clawed at the dirt, wanting it to end, but knowing deep down this was only the beginning. She tried to focus her thoughts on nothing but Richard, but the blinding pain made it difficult to think of anything else.

Darken Rahl was suddenly there, leaning down in front of her. He grabbed hold of her chin, gripping it tightly as he sneered at her. “This is only the beginning for you, my love,” he smirked at her, dragging his tongue across his lips.

She wanted to push him away, to spit in his face, but she couldn’t move, her body paralyzed by the painful magic that held her fast. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Tears coursed down her cheeks as Rahl rammed his mouth against hers, his tongue making her gag.

She bit down hard on his tongue, forcing him to release his hold on her. He backhanded her hard across the face, throwing her onto her back. She struggled to make her muscles react, to fight him off, but all she felt was more pain. 

“You are going to pay dearly, Kahlan Amnell,” Darken Rahl sneered as he moved to straddle her, pinning her to the ground. “Over and over again.”

Kahlan cried as Rahl’s hands began to explore her, his mouth following in its path. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be giving herself to Richard, not being taken by this monster. She clenched her jaw, squeezing her eyes shut as fingers suddenly entered her, making her squirm in an effort to make him stop.

Taunting laughter filled her ears as he humiliated and assaulted her. She screamed for Richard to save her, to stop this madness from happening to her, but he wasn’t there. She needed him and he wasn’t there to help her.

\----------

Leaning over her, Richard gently cupped her face, trying to soothe her as she cried out in her sleep. Her hands suddenly became fists as she began to push him away, screaming at him to stop. She pounded on his chest, gripped in the throes of a horrifying nightmare that she found she could never escape.

“Kahlan,” Richard called out to her. “It’s me…it’s Richard. It’s alright…I’m right here.”

“NO!” she screamed, her eyes flying open as she lurched forward, almost knocking her Seeker backwards.

Moving to straddle her legs, he quickly grabbed hold of her wrists, keeping her from hitting him again. “Kahlan!” he yelled. “It’s me! Stop!”

“Richard?” she panted heavily in confusion, her eyes wild with fear as she quickly looked about her.

“It’s alright,” he murmured.

Sitting back on his heels, he pulled her up into his arms, holding her close to him as she sobbed. She shook in his arms, breaking his heart as held her. Whatever had happened to her in the Underworld was following her into the world of the living and consuming her dreams.

How would he ever be able to help her? To fight against ghosts? Banish something that haunted her sleep?

“I’m so sorry, Richard,” she mumbled against his chest, clinging to him like a small child. “I…I didn’t mean to attack you like that.”

“It’s alright, Kahlan,” he reassured her, rubbing her back. “What was your nightmare about?”

Kahlan squeezed her eyes shut, tightening her hold on him. She was so afraid that if she gave voice to her nightmares, Darken Rahl would come back to life, the nightmares becoming a horrifying reality.

“Please, talk to me, Kahlan,” he softly pleaded, kissing the top of her head as he held her.

“Darken Rahl,” she finally whispered, pressing her face deeper into his chest.

Richard pulled back, taking her face in his hands. “He is not here,” he firmly said, anger aflame in his eyes. “He cannot get to you anymore. You’re safe now with me, Kahlan.”

She stared at him, tears trickling down her cheeks. “I know,” she softly admitted. “It’s just that every time I close my eyes…he’s always there waiting for me. I can’t escape him.”

“I’m sorry, Kahlan,” he murmured, leaning in and kissing her softly.

He whispered his lips against her face, doing his best to erase her tears with his kisses, wanting more than anything to take away her pain. He couldn’t bear seeing her like this, so frightened, so broken. He wanted to put his Confessor back together again, to wipe away all of her fears.

Kahlan drew a shuddering breath as she attempted to tamp down on the terror that still gripped her. The feel of his hands sliding up into her hair, his lips so tender against her face was beginning to quiet the wild tempest that was storming through her.

“I love you, Kahlan,” he repeatedly whispered, covering her face with butterfly kisses as he slowly rose up on his knees before her, her head falling back.

She clutched his shirt in her hands, fisting the material as her desire for him rose to the surface, quickly pushing aside the fear that thrummed through her. She rose up on her knees as well, her lips searching out his.

“I love you, Richard,” she murmured, her lips finally finding his.

He moaned softly at the feel of her lips against his, thrilling his soul. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss as his tongue tangled with hers for control. Releasing his shirt, her hands seductively slid up his neck and into his hair.

She wanted to crawl inside of this man holding her, kissing her with a passion so intense it made her lightheaded and awakening a need so fierce within her that she could barely breathe sometimes. Her one hand slipped inside his shirt, her fingernails lightly scraping the hardened contours beneath her touch, desperate for him to make her forget her pain.

Gasping, Richard pulled back for air, panting hard with a hunger so overwhelming that demanded to be filled by her and her alone. He kissed along her neck, his hand slipping down to softly caress her breast, wanting so very much more than this, needing her in every way. 

The feel of his breath and his kisses so hot against her neck, his hand gently caressing and squeezing her through the material was making her weak with wanton need. Spirits forgive her, but she didn’t want him to stop. She only wanted so much more of him.

Needing to taste him again, she grabbed his face, pulling him in for another heated kiss. She wanted him to erase the horrifying memories of what Darken Rahl had done to her, creating only passionate love made with him instead.

She kissed him with equal longing, desire for him humming through her veins. His hand was suddenly tangling in her hair again, his other hand settling on her neck. The heat of his body and the taste of his kiss caused her to moan; the sound throaty and raspy and causing a shudder of hot need to ripple through him.

“Kahlan…I need you…want you,” he softly panted against her face. “Always.”

“Richard…” she began to protest, her eyes falling closed as she shook her head.

“You can’t hurt me, Kahlan,” he adamantly replied. “I love you more than your magic can take. Besides, I’d rather be confessed to you for all eternity than to ever live without you.”

Cold realization of what was happening slammed hard into her, causing her to hang her head in sorrow as she fought to gain control. She silently berated herself for allowing things to get this heated between them, knowing she could never finish what they had just started. 

“I…I need to get cleaned up,” she whispered, suddenly so ashamed and confused.

Breaking free from his hold on her before he could kiss her again, Kahlan immediately grabbed her pack before quickly disappearing into the surrounding trees. Desire thundered through her as she brushed the tears from her face, knowing that if she had stayed even one moment longer, she wouldn’t have been able to resist him again.

Telling him no was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, denying her heart as well as him what they both so desperately wanted. Why was life so cruel as to bring her back from the dead only to force her to once again push away the man that she loved more than life?

Richard watched her quickly disappear into the morning shadows of the woods, sorrow piercing his heart. He wanted more than anything to go after her, to follow her and make her see that he loved her more than her magic, more than anything in this world. His love for her would protect him. He believed that with his whole heart. Her death had only reinforced it in his mind, solidifying his belief.

Now, he just had to prove it to her so he could finally show her.

Even though he didn’t like the idea of her going off alone like this especially after everything that had just happened, he also knew that he couldn’t push her either. He needed to give her some space right now. She’d been through so much, more than he cared to dwell on. 

He still hadn’t been able to find the strength to ask her what had happened to her while she had been in the Underworld with Darken Rahl and the Keeper, but whatever had happened to her had obviously shaken her to her very core and followed her into her dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 3

Coming to a stop at the edge of the tranquil lake silently awaiting her arrival, Kahlan allowed her pack to slip from her fingers, landing with a soft thud in the thick grass. Despite her best efforts, the tears had continued to fall against her will. She felt so out of control, so confused.

She hung her head, her dark hair falling around her face like a black shroud signifying her sorrow. Richard’s words resounded in her ears, her skin still tingling with a warm glow from the heated passion behind his kisses and his touch. His taste lingered on her tongue; could still feel the roughness of his stubble against her face.

The feel of his hand on her breast had been electric, igniting her need for him like only Richard could ever do. His touch had been so gentle and yet so erotic. She could only imagine how much better it would be without her clothes separating her from his heated touch.

She choked back a sob as her knees finally gave out on her, her tears flowing freely now as she knelt in the grass. She covered her face with her hands, cursing who she was as well as the magic that flowed through her veins like a mighty torrent. She cursed herself for hurting the only man who had ever loved her so unconditionally, so fully.

Richard didn’t know what he was doing; fully understand the consequences of what her magic could really do to him. He would no longer be Richard. His thoughts, his will, his life would no longer be his own, but hers. 

Every single action, every thought that passed through his mind, every breath that he drew would fully revolve around her, be wholly devoted to her. No other thought but her would ever again enter his mind.

Everything that she loved so much about him would be completely wiped away, forever gone. She couldn’t bear the thought of looking into his eyes and seeing that soulless devotion to her residing there instead of the deep abiding love that she always saw now.

She couldn’t do that to him; steal away everything that she ever loved about him, all the little things that so uniquely made him Richard. How could he ask her to do this? Didn’t he see how hard this was for her? How devastating it was to repeatedly deny him what they both so desperately wanted?

Her anger began to rise, hot bitter tears escaping as she tried to gain control of her fragmented emotions. She slowly began removing her jacket, wishing more than anything that it was Richard’s hands that were removing it instead of her.

An icy shudder shivered through her as memories of Darken Rahl’s hands sliding over her body suddenly pushed their way to the surface of her mind, remembering how he had touched her, groped and fondled her. Bile rose up in the back of her throat with the terrifying memories. She turned to vomit in the grass, emptying what little she had in her stomach.

If Richard hadn’t saved her when he had…she shuddered again to think what would have happened next.

She ran her fingers through her hair, shoving those memories back into the dark recesses of her mind. She knew she was going to have to bury them deep to keep them from resurfacing. She couldn’t allow Darken Rahl to dwell in her subconscious, forcing his way back into her life at any given moment.

Slipping out of the rest of her clothes, Kahlan rubbed her arms as she stepped into the clear blue water. Turning her arm, she suddenly noticed a strange red mark on her forearm that hadn’t been there before. She gently ran her fingertips over it, trying to remember how she could’ve gotten it, not recalling being bitten by anything. 

It was probably connected in some way to what Darken Rahl had done to her. She still felt the lingering effects of her visit to the Underworld even now. The chill that had settled into her bones after the Keeper had spelled her soul had yet to fully leave her body, seizing hold of her at any given moment.

Dipping beneath the cool water, Kahlan tried to wash away her fears and worries in the lake, the exhaustion and chill that clung to every fiber of her being, Rahl’s vile touch from her body. She wanted to leave it all behind her in the water, but she knew it was no use. She was going to have to face them one way or another. 

She was going to have to face Richard.

She knew he wasn’t going to give up until he had convinced her that they could make love without being affected by her magic. Even though she wanted to be with him more than anything, confessing him was too high of a price to pay in her mind. She also knew that when it came to Richard, she wasn’t that strong, her resolve always weakening whenever she was near him. 

She wasn’t going to be able to fight him forever, fight her love for him. 

XXX

“Where’s Kahlan?” Zedd asked with furrowed brow, finding Richard sitting all alone by the campfire picking the bark off of a stick. He could tell by the agitated look on his face that something had happened between the Seeker and Mother Confessor.

“She went to the lake to wash up,” he absentmindedly told him without looking up, his focus solely on the mindless task at hand.

“Well, there’s still no sign of soldiers anywhere,” the Wizard sighed as he sat down next to his grandson, grabbing a persimmon from his pack. “But that doesn’t mean that we should risk hang around here any longer than necessary.”

“What do you think he’s up to, Zedd?” the Seeker asked with a heavy sigh.

“I wish I knew, my boy, but I’m afraid we won’t find out until he strikes again.”

“And by then it could be too late,” he frowned, suddenly breaking the stick in his hands. “I can’t seem to stop either of my brothers.”

“What do you mean?”

“Demos will be coming after Kahlan at any moment and Darken is continually haunting her dreams,” he bit out, his anger brewing. “Sometimes I think it would have been better for her if she’d never met me that day.”

Stunned by his words, Zedd stared at him for a long moment before responding. “You don’t honestly believe that, do you?”

Richard clenched his jaw, his chest tightening with the thought of never knowing Kahlan. He wanted nothing more than to love her and all he had done was brought her more danger, scaring her away with his love in the process. “If she had never found me, she never would have jumped in the path of that arrow, would have never been in the Underworld enduring Spirits only knows what from Darken Rahl, wouldn’t have Demos wanting her for himself. She wouldn’t be suffering like she is right now, Zedd.”

“And she never would have fallen in love with her Seeker, would never have known what it was like to have a true friend or be loved for the amazing woman that she is by someone who is not afraid of her or her magic,” Zedd continued. “She would be all alone, lost with no one to help her. 

“And if truth be told, she’d most likely be dead by now, massacred long ago with all of her sisters because she never found the Seeker that we all needed to save the world from Darken Rahl.”

Richard internally cringed with Zedd’s words, his heart in his throat for the future that had been laying in wait for his Confessor had she not found him. It hurt him that if it had not been for him, she never would’ve known love or real friendship. The thought of never knowing her was the worst possible fate he could imagine next to losing her.

“I’m sorry,” the Seeker shook his head in regret. “I just never wanted her to know anything but happiness and love, but instead she’s surrounded by constant danger, her life always at risk.”

“But at least she has you, Richard…and us of course,” Zedd told him. “That’s so much more than she had before.”

Richard smiled softly in response to his grandfather. “I just love her so much, Zedd. I know that we will be together someday.”

“If anyone can find a way, it will be you, my boy,” he smiled in return, patting his grandson’s knee. “Of that, I am certain.”

XXX

Kahlan lightly ran her fingers over her arms, frowning at how red her skin was from trying to scrub away Darken Rahl’s filthy fingerprints from her body. While it had felt good to get cleaned up, it had done little to erase the dreadful feelings storming inside of her after what that monster had tried to do to her. 

There was no amount of soap or water that could ever wash away the heartache, the feelings of disgust or the guilt that she felt inside. She should have tried harder to stop him, fought harder against his depraved touch, but there had been no way to escape it. She had been at his mercy with no magic and nowhere to run or hide from him.

She reached for her jacket with a heavy sigh of frustration. How could she ever tell Richard what Darken Rahl had done to her? He was already struggling after everything that had happened to her, always looking at her with such fear and worry in his eyes. How much harder it would be for him to control his rage if he found out his own brother had assaulted her, almost raped her?

If he knew, he would no longer look at her with love and desire in his eyes. Gone would be the pride and respect for her that always seemed to warm his brown orbs whenever he stared at her. It would be replaced with nothing but disgust and shame.

Kahlan leaned over, pulling on one boot then the other. Her wet hair fell over her shoulder, partially blocking his view of her as she slid her daggers into her boots. She knew without seeing that he was there secretly waiting, watching her from afar.

She still felt such a conflicted battle raging inside of her, her desire for her Seeker growing stronger every day, her love for him deepening. He was so willing to risk his soul for her. It warred with logic, with the things that she’d been taught as well as her desire for him that continually simmered like warm embers in her core.

She couldn’t let that happen and yet she wanted him so fiercely it had created a horrible ache inside of her, one that only he could ever ease. 

Straightening up, she smoothed a hand over her jacket, her fingers brushing against the hole the arrow had created. She needed to have Zedd fix the tear as soon as she got back to camp. She didn’t want to be reminded anymore of what had happened to her. 

She just wanted to move on, to find the Stone of Tears, and defeat the Keeper before he could take over the world of the living. The thought of Darken Rahl set lose again nearly took her legs out from under her. She couldn’t bear the thought of having to deal with him again, his wickedness being unleashed upon the world once more.

“I know you’re there,” she finally said as she turned to face the line of trees that stood directly behind her, her hands finding her hips. “You can come out now.”

He sheepishly emerged from the secure shadows of the woods, a shy lop-sided grin lighting his handsome face. “I didn’t see anything…I promise,” he immediately told her, his hands held up in defense in front of him as he came to a stop before her.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen me without my clothes on anyway I guess,” she reminded him with a shy upturn of her lips.

“That doesn’t count,” he frowned in sudden irritation with the reminder. “You weren’t really you. Besides, you have no memory of that night. I want to wait to see you again until I am finally able to make love to the real you.”

Kahlan felt her cheeks suddenly grow warm with his words, her desire for him awakening all over again. “Is it time to leave yet?” she asked, quickly changing the subject. She was not ready to fight him on it again. She was too emotionally drained after everything that had happened over the last week.

“Not yet,” he shook his head. “I just wanted to make sure that you were alright. I don’t like the idea of you being alone out here, Kahlan. There’s no telling when Demos will strike again or what he’ll do next. I won’t let him get to you.”

Kahlan watched as his expression shifted from one of longing to true worry. She couldn’t bear to see the fear that permeated his brown eyes every time he looked at her now. It had become a permanent resident reflected there in those chocolate depths that she loved so much, swimming there along with the love that always shined so brightly for her.

“I’m fine,” she replied, her hand coming to rest affectionately against his cheek. “I just need a little time is all.”

“Kahlan, you’d tell me you were fine even if you were dying…”

Richard’s voice abruptly broke off, the full meaning of what he was actually saying crashing down on him, his heart suddenly in his throat.

“Richard, it’s alright,” she heatedly insisted, suddenly clutching the collar of his shirt in a fierce grip to get his full attention. “I did die! I was in the Underworld with…with Darken Rahl…and the Keeper. 

“But I’m alive because of you. You saved me, Richard. You never gave up on me and because of that I’m here with you now, by your side where I should be.”

He saw terror flash through her blue eyes like a streak of lightning when she spoke of the Underworld. Something horrifying had happened to her while she had been trapped there and his brother had been the cause of it. His stomach twisted painfully with the very thought.

Before he could stop himself, he heard the words tumbling from his lips. “What did Darken Rahl do to you, Kahlan?” he softly asked, his voice a painful whisper as his hands came to rest on her waist.

He felt her suddenly tremble beneath his touch, her face turning a ghostly shade of pale that only served to heighten his worst fears. Tears instantly welled in her blue eyes before abruptly breaking free to slowly roll down her cheeks.

She quickly averted her eyes, wanting more than anything to run away at that moment than to have to tell him. It would only add to his smoldering rage. The wounds were too raw for both of them right now. There was no need to drudge up something that she was doing her best to just leave buried deep inside of her, an ugly thing that felt like a stain on her soul.

“Please, Richard…don’t…” she whispered as she shook her head, her voice faltering. “Don’t ask me…”

He tightened his hold on her waist; anguish mixed with anger causing his fingers to press almost painfully into her flesh but he couldn’t stop himself. Dread was in full control now, furious over what he feared that she had truly endured. The night terrors that haunted her now, the things that she had cried out in her sleep last night were tearing relentlessly at his soul. 

“Kahlan…please…” he softly pleaded, his heart beginning to hammer against his chest wall in anxious anticipation. “The horrible things that I’m imagining you went through are eating away inside of me. Please, I just…I have to know what they did to you…what Darken Rahl did to you.”

Kahlan bit her bottom lip, forcing back the cry that suddenly stuck in her throat making it difficult to breathe. How could she tell him that his very own brother had touched her in places she had only dreamed of Richard touching her? That Rahl had beat her, inflicting unimaginable pain on her?

Steeling herself, she finally forced herself to meet his intense gaze, her resolve hardening. His brown eyes were twin pillars of burning fury suddenly making her knees weak. She feared he’d end up hating her if he truly knew what Rahl had done to her, for not being able to stop him. She couldn’t bear that.

“Please…don’t worry, Richard,” she firmly said, her Confessor’s mask swiftly slipping into place as she swallowed back her tears, resolve hardening her heart.

“Kahlan…” he began as he watched her shut down right before his eyes, that damn emotionless mask falling carefully into place again.

He knew that she needed to display an air of impassivity and complete control in times of diplomacy or when her duty required it, but this was not a part of her responsibility. He was not her duty. This was him…her Seeker, her friend, her would-be lover and husband. 

They loved each other, had shared more in the past year and a half together than most had shared in an entire lifetime. He needed her and she was suddenly shutting him out and pushing him away as if he meant nothing to her.

Richard attempted to calm the raging storm in his heart, the thirst for revenge that was begging for release. He didn’t want to push her and yet he had to know. He silently prayed that what he was imagining was nothing like what she had been forced to endure, but her silence was making it very hard to know what to think anymore.

Kahlan bit her lip again, fighting back the tears that were bound and determined to fall despite her best efforts. She couldn’t tell him. It would hurt him too much and she couldn’t do that to him. She would deal with it on her own, burying it deep inside where it would never see the light of day.

She could see in his eyes the intense emotional battle being waged inside of him. “It doesn’t matter now anyway, Richard,” she heatedly said, suddenly pulling out of his hold on her and putting distance between them. “I’m with you now and that’s all that matters. We need to move on and finish our quest.”

Swallowing hard, Richard slowly nodded his head as he stared into her eyes, doing his best to keep his anger and fear contained when all he wanted was to let it all go. “You can talk to me, Kahlan…about anything,” he stiffly told her, fighting back the hurt that stung his heart. “Nothing could ever diminish my love for you. Nothing.”

Kahlan slowly nodded, feeling her anger stirring once more with what Darken Rahl had done, the way that he and the Keeper had once again come between them. There was always something trying to keep them apart, keeping them from sharing their love for one another.

“Come…we should head back to camp,” he said in a clipped tone.

She watched as he quickly turned and walked away, the heaviness that pervaded his heart evident in the way that he carried himself, the fact that he didn’t try to hold her hand to walk back to camp with him. Her eyes fell closed, swallowing back her heart. 

She had hurt him deeply and she knew it, but she was only doing it to protect him. They would soon be on their way in search of the Stone of Tears and Richard would forget all about what Darken Rahl had done to her. Then things between her and Richard would be like it had been before all of this had happened.

She just had to hold herself together now and hope that she would be able to forget with time as well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 4

Returning to camp, Kahlan noticed Richard kneeling by the fire, a look of hurt mingled with anger still a mask upon his handsome face. In her efforts to protect him, she had only caused him more sorrow. Protecting him from any more pain was worth the uneasy tension that hung unseen in the air between them, the frosty chill that had replaced the warmth of love and longing. 

Averting her eyes, she silently made her way to where her things were, wanting so desperately to hold him and reassure him that she was fine…but she wasn’t fine. In fact, she was far from it. 

She knew that she’d never been able to lie to him, to tell him that she was alright. He could always see right into her very soul no matter how hard she tried to hide her thoughts and emotions.

Dousing the fire, Richard looked up to find his Confessor packing her things, her entire countenance teeming with fatigue as well as overwhelming sadness. It tore like daggers at his heart to see her like this, but he couldn’t help her when she refused to talk to him.

Feeling his eyes on her, Kahlan forced herself to focus on what she was doing, unable to bear seeing the hurt that she had put there. Kneeling down, she began folding her green blanket before stuffing it into her pack, reminded of how her morning had begun in her Seeker’s protective embrace. She swore she could still feel her lips tingling, his woodsy scent lingering on her clothes.

She had wanted him so badly, had wanted him to take her right there by the heat of the campfire. It had taken every ounce of strength she’d had to stop him, to pull away from him. It had hurt her greatly to push him away like that when all she had wanted was to draw him even closer, to feel his chest pressed against hers, his hardened form moving so forcefully inside of her and over her.

But they couldn’t and it was all because of her. It was her fault that they couldn’t be together, her magic that stood between them like an impenetrable wall that no one could ever breech, not even the mighty Seeker himself.

With a deep breath, she shoved aside her own hurt, swallowing her heart and insuring her emotionless mask was still set firmly on her face. She finished gathering up her things, knowing that they needed to focus on getting out of here and finding the Stone of Tears. They were in a deadly race against time now and she was not about to let the Keeper or Darken Rahl escape their prison.

Standing to her feet, Kahlan slipped her arms through the straps of her pack, a sudden sharp pain piercing her head and causing her to momentarily sway on her feet. It felt like ice water trickling through her veins as she tried to catch her breath. Closing her eyes, she tightened her grip on the straps, taking slow deep breaths as she waited for the strange sensation to pass.

A sudden hand gripping her elbow caused her to immediately jump, her eyes flying open in wild panic. Without a second thought, she instinctively jerked away from the hold on her, fear spiking sharply through her as her hand came up to confess whoever had touched her.

“It’s just me,” Richard gently said. “Are you alright?”

“I’m sorry,” she ashamedly murmured, lowering her outstretched hand and rubbing her arms to banish the cold that still permeated every fiber of her being. “I didn’t realize it was you.”

“I think we’re ready to go if you’re up to it,” he said, keeping a little distance between them. 

He had pushed her this morning by the lake, wanting to know everything that had happened to her in the Underworld. He never should’ve tried forcing her to talk to him like that especially so soon after getting her back. He had allowed his own fears to rein over logic. He couldn’t do that to her again.

“Please don’t worry,” she replied, forcing a small smile to reassure him. “I’m fine.”

Drawing a deep breath, Richard nodded his head in response, knowing that she was far from it. He hoped that she would be alright someday, that in time she would truly be his Kahlan again. And he would be there every step of the way, helping her if she would only allow him. 

He just hoped that she would eventually let him in, would let him help her through this. He needed her as well to help him deal with everything that had happened, to deal with losing her not once, but twice.

Turning to follow Zedd and Cara who were waiting for them, Richard couldn’t help the fear that nearly took his breath away. She would be in constant danger until Demos and the Keeper were defeated. Only then would they be able to live in peace and Kahlan would truly be safe at last.

He was more than determined than ever now to make sure that happened, to make her his wife, his lover. Nothing was going to get in the way of that reality for them.

XXX

He strode through the corridor with his usual haughty air, a dark aura constantly encompassing him and inciting deathly fear in all who came into his presence.

Demos barely noticed those around him, annoyance lighting his face as staff quickly scampered out of his way. They immediately fell to their knees before his guards came along and broke their legs, forcing them to the ground in the divine presence of the reigning Lord Rahl.

A thick cloak of darkness continuously hung over the Palace, permeating its walls and corridors. A bleak dreariness seemed to press in from all around, threatening to suffocate the very life out of those who resided there within its stone walls.

But this was the way Demos liked it, a constant sense of fear and dread clutching at the throats of his people, keeping them in complete submission to him and him alone.

And soon, he’d have his very own Confessor at his beck and call; helping him control those that he deemed a threat to him. She would be his own personal mercenary, confessing and eliminating all those who stood in his way.

Soon all three territories as well as the Old World would be kneeling at his feet.

There would be no empathy for those who stood in his way. Compassion was a sign of weakness. There was no room for it when ruling a territory. It was a useless quality that only eroded the very fabric of society as a whole, giving people a free license to do as they pleased. When people began to believe that they had free will, the only outcome was utter chaos.

Demos ground his teeth the longer he thought about it. D’Hara had had it far too easy under his twin brother’s weak-handed rule. He had much work to do if he was going to restore order.

And he would do it with Kahlan Amnell’s help.

The Mother Confessor would become his, would be his personal angel of death, broken and molded to be in the image he wanted her to be.

Just the thought of her being untouched, of being the one to break her and take away her purity created a dark gleam in his eyes. He wasn’t sure what excited him more – taking Kahlan Amnell to his bed or forcing his brother to watch.

The best part was that Kahlan would be coming to him. There was no need to send Quads after her or try to steal her away from Richard. Kahlan would be the one to turn against her own friends, the man that she loved.

And Richard will never see it coming.

Sweeping past General Egremont, Demos entered his private sanctuary that he’d had built just for him. He needed to consult his books, to make certain that there were no flaws in his plan. He didn’t like being taken by surprise.

His excitement was building the longer he allowed himself to dwell on it, the idea of Kahlan belonging to him and no one else heating his blood. If everything went according to plan then the Mother Confessor should begin noticing some subtle changes very soon. It wouldn’t be long after that.

Coming to stand before his book lying open on the special podium, Demos began skimming the pages, his mind buzzing with anxious anticipation. If they only knew what he had done, Richard would be banging down his door, begging for his forgiveness and help to save the woman that he loved.

Unfortunately for Richard and Kahlan, her fate had been all but sealed as soon as she drew her first breath again.

“How long will it be before it begins to take affect?” Egremont asked.

“Should be noticing something by now,” Demos absentmindedly muttered as he flipped through the pages of his ancient book. “The mark should have appeared already. It’ll only be a matter of time before the changes begin to take hold.”

“And by then it’ll be too late,” Egremont nodded his head in understanding.

“That is what I’m hoping,” Demos frowned, his lips twisting into a sneer as he paused to look at the General. “Unfortunately, there is a way to prevent the change. I’m just hoping that they won’t be able to discover it out before the changes become permanent.”

“And you’ll possess the most powerful Confessor who has ever lived.”

“Indeed, I will,” Demos grinned, his dark eyes gleaming.

XXX

“Which direction is it pointing now?” Zedd asked, coming to stand beside his grandson.

Richard stood holding the compass open in the palm of his hand, his brow creased in thought. “It suddenly changed for some reason. It wants us to head towards that valley to the right.”

“And that bothers you?”

“I’m not sure,” he muttered, snapping the compass shut before slipping it back into his vest pocket. “I just thought that we’d still keep going south.”

“Further away from the People’s Palace,” Zedd said.

“Yes,” Richard sighed heavily. “I don’t like the idea of still being this close to the People’s Palace. I want to steer clear of Demos until I’m able to really deal with him. Besides, I’m hoping that my brother will lose interest in Kahlan over time and find something else to occupy himself with.”

“Do you really think that will happen?”

Richard’s mood darkened even further, his shoulders suddenly slumping under the unseen weight he carried. “No,” he admitted. “I saw something so dark so…wicked…when I looked at his eyes with the way that he was staring at Kahlan. It was pure evil, Zedd; darker than anything I’ve ever seen before.”

The quiet horror that filled the Seeker’s voice did not go unnoticed by his grandfather nor did the fear that flashed through his eyes. Zedd drew closer, placing a reassuring hand on his grandson’s shoulder. Richard continued on before his grandfather could even form a response.

“How can such wickedness exist in a person, Zedd?” he softly asked as his eyes grew distant with memories of that moment. “That same Rahl blood flows through my veins too. What is keeping me from being just like him or my ancestors?”

“This,” Zedd simply said, placing his hand against Richard’s chest right over where his heart was steadily beating. “And, of course…her,” the Wizard nodded in the direction where Kahlan was.

Richard turned his head, watching as she knelt down by the spring filling their water skins. She was the very reason that he lived and breathed, the purpose behind everything that he did in life. For her, he would do anything; give her his all.

Zedd smiled as Richard stared at Kahlan. He could feel his grandson’s heart suddenly beating faster beneath his hand as his grandson watched his Confessor, his eyes full of such love and longing. The Wizard finally allowed his hand to fall by his side once more.

“Richard, you have a pure heart,” he told him.

“I just hope it’s enough,” the Seeker murmured, finally tearing his attention away from Kahlan.

“You always do what is right, my boy.”

Richard shook his head, unconvinced. “But I know it’s still inside of me, Zedd. The rage that I felt when I was with the Minders was so intense, so all-consuming. I could have so easily gone down that same path as my ancestors, allowed my rage and hatred to take control of my heart if Kahlan and Cara hadn’t stopped me.”

“Yes, you could have,” the Wizard agreed. “But you fought it and you won in the end. That’s what matters, Richard. There is potential for wickedness in all of us, but there’s also the potential for good. It’s what we decide to allow to rule us, what we allow to rule our hearts.”

“She rules my heart, makes me want to be a better man, so much more than I already am,” Richard thoughtfully said, his focus returning to Kahlan once more. “She deserves only the very best and I never want to let her down.”

Staring at his grandson, Zedd could see the deep love he felt for his Confessor, a love that went far beyond just physical attraction or passion, beyond even friendship. It was like he had found the other half of soul that he’d had no idea that he’d been missing until she had unexpectedly swept into his life that fateful day.

“I doubt you could ever do anything to truly disappoint her, Richard,” Zedd reassured him. “She knows the man that you are and loves you deeply because of it. Nothing could ever change that.”

“I don’t know, Zedd,” he said. “I hurt her this morning.”

“I highly doubt that, my boy,” his grandfather scoffed. “What happened?”

“I tried to push her into telling me what Darken Rahl had done to her while she was in the Underworld,” he softly replied. “She wouldn’t talk to me, just completely shut me out. What happened to her in the Underworld is affecting her more than she admits, more than we all thought and it terrifies me.”

“Richard you both went through more than any of us can possibly begin to imagine,” he said. “You need to give each other some time. She’ll come to you when she’s ready. She always turns to you.”

“I hope so,” he murmured, sorrow constricting his throat.

“It’s going take quite a bit of time until she’s fully recovered, Richard,” Zedd reassured him. “She went through a horrific experience.”

“I know and it scares me,” he softly admitted. “I can’t help feeling that I’m going to lose her again.”

Zedd’s heart felt so heavy for Richard and Kahlan. Their lives were wrapped up in so much chaos and danger, steeped in more prophecies than they could begin to know. He knew, though, if anyone could handle it, it would be these two.

“I wish I could say that the road ahead for the two of you will be easier, but I’m afraid I can’t. You know as well as I do by now that nothing is ever easy for those who carry the title of Seeker and Mother Confessor.”

“I know,” he nodded. “I want more than anything to take Kahlan away from here, go back to the mountains in Westland and just live together in peace, but I know it’s not possible.”

“Someday I hope you and Kahlan can have the happiness you both deserve.”

“Right now, I’m just thrilled to have her alive and with us where she belongs,” he told him as he walked away.

\----------

Kahlan folded her arms against her chest, shivering despite the sun’s rays warming her face. It was that deep bone-chilling cold that she just couldn’t seem to escape no matter what she did.

It felt at times as if something was happening to her, something that she couldn’t quite explain or understand. She felt different somehow…changed in a way. She didn’t know if it was because of being in the Underworld for as long as she had been or just still trying to deal with what Darken Rahl had done to her.

Either way, she hated it. It was coming between her and Richard, adding to the already simmering tension that her magic had created between them, keeping them apart.

Richard came to a stop behind her, careful not to touch her despite the aching need inside of him that only seemed to intensify whenever he was near her. He reminded himself that she just needed some time after everything that she’d been through, but it did little to diminish his desire for her in any way.

He ached to hold her, to take away her pain and fears. He wanted to kiss her and erase the bad memories that chased her into her dreams. He wanted to make love to her, releasing them both from the cruel confinement her magic had sentenced their love to.

“Kahlan,” Richard softly said. “I was just coming to see if you were ready to move on or if we should make camp early.”

Kahlan suddenly spun around, staring at him for a long moment as if trying to process what he had said to her. Her eyes frantically darted about her as if searching for an unseen attack, confusion clouding her mind as well as her gaze.

“Hey, there’s no one else here,” he gently told her as he moved closer to her, his forehead creased with concern.

He slowly reached out to her, carefully taking her hand in his. She immediately began to pull away before finally relaxing her grip and allowing him to take her hand. His gaze narrowed, her reaction to him worrying him.

“I’m sorry, Richard,” she murmured, tears rising to the surface as she pulled her hand free from his grasp. “I didn’t know it was you.”

“It’s alright, Kahlan,” he reassured her; unable to shake the dreadful feeling that something was happening to his Confessor. 

“Are we ready to go?” she asked, scratching her forearm.

“What’s the matter with your arm?” he asked, suddenly realizing that she’d been scratching it all day.

“It’s just a bite mark of some sort,” she shook her head. “I noticed it this morning when I was bathing at the lake.”

“Let me see,” he said, taking her arm and pushing her sleeve up.

Richard’s brow furrowed as he lightly ran his finger over the mark on her arm. It was red and swollen, about the size of his thumbnail. “I’ve never seen a bite quite like this,” he muttered as he inspected it. “I’ll make a poultice for it after we set up camp tonight.”

“It’s nothing, Richard,” she insisted, quickly pulling her arm free from his hold on her.

“Kahlan, please…let me take care of you,” he snapped, his frustration evident in his eyes as well as his voice.

“Alright,” she slowly nodded, feeling guilty for hurting him once again.

Richard immediately regretted his tone as they turned to rejoin Zedd and Cara. He hated this thick tension that hung between them now, threatening to suffocate them. He wished more than anything that he could just start this whole day over, go back to this morning when he was holding her close in his arms and everything seemed so perfect for that brief moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 5

Sitting with his legs crossed, Richard began grinding the leaves that he had been fortunate enough to find. He hoped that an herbal poultice might help heal the bite mark on Kahlan’s arm. He could tell that it was bothering her though she would never complain about it.

He watched as she worked at building the campfire, her blue eyes filled with such a sad distant look that chipped off another piece of his heart. He wanted more than anything to know what was going through her mind at that moment, what it was that was upsetting her the most so he could try to help her, fix it for her.

She had spoken little all day, keeping mostly to herself. It hurt him deeply to see what this was all doing to her. She had avoided him after the incident by the spring when she had turned on him, ready to confess him, ashamed for almost attacking him.

She hadn’t been herself since Demos had brought her back to life. Of course, who would be after everything that she had endured?

Even though it had just been yesterday that he had gotten her back, he knew her well enough to know that something was definitely wrong. He hated watching her try to deal with whatever Darken Rahl had done to her on her own, refusing to allow him to help her.

Was she afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle what she would tell him? Did she fear that he wouldn’t be able to control his rage taking it out on her?

Gathering his things, Richard silently made his way over to her, careful not to startle her again. He hated seeing that look of anger mixed with fear that filled her eyes when she looked at him. It was as if something else was taking over her in those moments, something that kept her from recognizing him.

It was like she was in a trance as she absentmindedly stoked the fire, lost to her tormented thoughts and memories. It was as if a part of her was still trapped in the Underworld with Darken Rahl, unable to break free. But he was not about to allow his brother…either one of them…to hurt her ever again.

“Kahlan,” he softly called her name as he settled down beside her.

She turned at the sound of his voice, his special smile momentarily touching her lips before quickly fading away. Fatigue lined her face, her blue eyes missing that bright spark that always resided there. He hated seeing the heavy weight of grief that had gripped her now, replacing the love for life that had always been there before this had all happened.

“I made a poultice for your arm,” he told her, resting the bowl in his lap. He carefully scooped up the mixture, placing it in the center of the cloth in his other hand. “It should help take the sting out of it so it can heal.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she replied, turning her attention back to the fire.

“I wanted to,” he insisted. “I want to take care of you, Kahlan. Even the powerful Mother Confessor needs someone in her life to take care of her.”

Kahlan finally relented; forcing herself to relax as he gently took hold of her arm. He carefully pulled her sleeve up, earning a gasping hiss from his Confessor. His eyes immediately narrowed at the site of it. The unusual mark had spread over her forearm. It was red and swollen almost as if she had been marked by some sort of branding iron.

“Kahlan,” he frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me this was getting worse?”

“We needed to keep moving,” she said as she stared at her arm. “We have to find the Stone of Tears before Darken Rahl and the Keeper escapes. We can’t let that happen, Richard. We can’t let him get free to hurt…” Kahlan abruptly stopped, her fear invading her voice as her breathing grew ragged.

“I know we do, but not at your expense,” he gently scolded her as he lightly ran his fingertip over the mark, the sudden fear that gripped her not lost on him.

Kahlan grimaced, clenching her jaw against the pain that shot like flames of fire up her arm. Tears pricked her eyes; nausea roiling in her stomach as Richard gently applied the poultice against it. Her head was pounding relentlessly, making it difficult to focus her thoughts.

He could see how much he was hurting her, pain reflecting in her beautiful face, but he hoped it would help her in the end. He hated seeing her in pain or suffering like this. Whatever happened to her, happened to him and seeing her like this was slowly tearing him apart inside.

She watched him as he held the poultice against her skin, his thumb gently brushing back and forth along the inside of her forearm making her pulse race. She loved his hands, the strength he possessed, the innate graceful skill with which he wielded his sword. She wanted his hands on her body more than anything - undressing her, touching and stroking her in places that he had only been allowed to in her dreams.

His mouth always soon followed that heated path his hands had taken as he made love to her, taking her so passionately. She would always wake in a flushed state, her heart racing, her body begging for reality to match fantasy, but it never could be. Not for her...for them.

She felt herself growing warmer with her heated thoughts, her heart beginning to beat a little harder. She bit her bottom lip as he leaned in a little closer to her, tilting his head and lifting the poultice to check on her arm. She wanted to kiss him, to truly kiss him the way that she really wanted to without holding a piece of herself back, always keeping a part of herself safely hidden away from him.

She had hurt him deeply today and she knew it. She wished more than anything they could go back to this morning when she woke up to find him hovering over her. She knew she should talk to him, to tell him everything that he wanted to know, but she just couldn’t, not yet at least. She feared losing the love for her that shined like bright stars in his eyes, being replaced with nothing but pity and loathing.

Dipping her head, she could see the worry swimming in his eyes as he pressed the poultice against her arm again. She knew that he was worried about her and if truth be told, she was growing a little concerned herself. She didn’t know why she kept reacting like she did whenever he got close to her.

“Is the pain lessening at all?” he asked, his focus on her arm.

“A little,” she lied, looking away so he wouldn’t notice.

“Kahlan, you don’t have to pretend to be alright around me all the time,” he said as he looked at her, his free hand coming to rest against her cheek. 

“I know, but I’ve put you through so much already,” she softly replied, avoiding his intense gaze, angry with herself for causing him more worry. 

“No, you haven’t put me through anything,” he firmly said lifting her chin to force her to look at him. “None of this has been your fault, Kahlan. Besides, I’d rather be with you going through everything that had happened to us over the last year and half than anywhere else in the world.”

She instinctively touched his cheek as she gazed into his eyes, her desire for him beginning to hum through her veins like a sweet vibration. Spirits, she wanted this man more than anything in this world. Unable to bear it a moment longer, she leaned in, kissing him despite herself…despite her fears, her hand slipping down to grasp hold of his shirt and pulling him closer to her.

He eagerly responded to her kiss, his thumb caressing her cheek. He tilted his head, his tongue stroking hers, the need for air becoming more demanding, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want this moment to ever end.

He wanted her to trust him, to let him in, to believe that his love for her was more powerful than her magic, far greater than whatever it was that had happened to her. He needed her to be okay, to be his Kahlan again.

She finally broke the kiss, pressing her forehead against his as she tried to catch her breath. “You make it harder and harder to stop,” she breathlessly murmured, her fingers tightening their hold on his shirt as she stared into his eyes.

“Then don’t,” he whispered.

Losing himself in those sapphire orbs, his intense brown eyes silently pleaded with her to kiss him again so he could at long last be free to love her the way that he so desperately wanted to. The feel of her warm breath softly pulsating against his face was slowly driving him mad, her fingers sliding inside of his shirt and setting him on fire.

The look of longing for him that blazed in those depths caused his breath to catch in his chest, his pulse beginning to race with anxious anticipation. She was finally beginning to open up to him, her walls dropping ever so subtly. He held still as stone, sharing the same breath and silently willing her to finally come to him. She began to slowly lean in to kiss him again, his heart beginning to hammer wildly in his chest.

“I told you that you shouldn’t have used your Wizard’s fire to try to catch it!”

“It’s just a little singed around the edges. It’s still edible.”

The sound of Cara and Zedd’s voices coming from the forest caused them both to freeze, the moment flitting away like a leaf in the wind. Richard closed his eyes in heated frustration, a low growl escaping his throat as he tried to tamp down on the arousal pumping through his system. He reluctantly released his hold on her, his body still tense with need. He could tell that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her, but fear kept her from fully believing him.

Her walls would never be too high for him to scale, never too thick for him to not break down.

Kahlan pulled back, trying to calm her racing her heart. She had come so close to giving herself to him, so close to freeing herself of the fiery need that seared through her veins every time he was near her. She pulled her hair back behind her ear, guilt forcing her to look away from him, putting a little distance between them once more.

She’d been so close to kissing him again, giving into the passion that had erupted between them. They both knew what it would have meant, the blissful path it would’ve taken them down. Desire still coursed through her veins, but she knew she could never act on it, could never destroy the man that she loved with her whole heart.

“It’s more than singed!” Cara snapped. “It’s charred beyond recognition!”

Richard sighed heavily, watching as Kahlan’s walls immediately went up around her all over again. He turned his focus back to her arm, swallowing back his heart and doing his best to regain control over his emotions. He wanted to take her some place private where he could just talk to her, hold her. He wanted to kiss her, to tell her how much he loved her. He needed her now more than ever, but instead he had frigid emptiness keeping him from her.

“You can still tell it’s a rabbit,” Zedd replied as they entered the clearing.

“Only because of what’s left of its ears,” Cara huffed.

Kahlan chuckled softly at Zedd and Cara, casting a furtive glance at Richard who was equally amused by them despite their poor timing. “Were you able to catch anything that won’t taste like ashes?” he asked.

“Thanks to your favorite Mord’Sith, you’ll have a decent meal,” Cara said, proudly holding up her prize of two rabbits.

“I can start dinner,” Kahlan volunteered as she quickly began to stand to her feet, Richard’s nearness still affecting her deeply.

“Oh no you don’t,” Richard retorted, pulling her back down onto the log with him. “I need to keep this poultice on your arm. Besides, you need to rest so you can regain your strength.”

“I’m fine…really,” she insisted, annoyed by his over-protectiveness. “You worry too much. I just want to forget about what happened and move on.”

Richard drew a deep breath, hating how all of this was affecting her. “You need to give yourself some time, Kahlan; take it slow,” he told her. “You’ve been through so much.”

Kahlan nodded her head, knowing that he was right, but she wanted everything to be back to normal now. She wanted to be able to sleep without Darken Rahl being there waiting for her in her dreams. She wanted to feel like herself again, to not be so tense or feel so broken inside.

More than anything, she wanted everything to be right again with Richard. She hated the tension that hung so awkwardly between them like a dark specter, the chasm that separated them suddenly seeming so much wider than it had been before everything that had happened.

Her head began to pound harder, making it difficult to keep her eyes open. She wanted to lie down, but feared falling asleep. Blood rushed in her ears, thumping in time with every beat of her heart.

Richard looked up to see the intense pain radiating in her cobalt orbs. She wearily rubbed her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut, exhaustion permeating her beautiful face. He was so desperate to take away her pain, to heal her every hurt.

“Does your head hurt?”

“A little,” she murmured, finding that it hurt to even talk at that moment.

“Why don’t you lie down for a little while?” he suggested. “I’ll wake you when it’s time to eat.”

“Alright,” she relented, standing to her feet and pausing to look at her Seeker. “Thank you, Richard.”

He forced himself to smile in response as he watched her move to the other side of the campsite, his heart sinking into his boots as she laid down on her bedroll with her back to him. He knew it had to be a bad headache for her to surrender so easily without any argument. 

Something was definitely going on with her and he was going to find out what it was one way or another. He would not stop until she was finally safe from his brothers.

XXX

Kahlan awoke with a frantic start, lurching forward with a gasp as she fought to catch her breath again. The nightmares had come again just like the night before, growing more intense and more violent each time they came, morphing and shifting and creating a terror deep within her that she couldn’t shake.

She couldn’t stop the trembling that shook her to the very core of her being. She was beyond exhausted as she fought to gain control of herself once more, knowing that she was never going to regain her strength if she had to fight off Darken Rahl’s attacks every time she closed her eyes.

She quickly looked about her, finding Richard lying close beside her in case she needed anything and yet maintaining some distance. He looked so peaceful as he slept, his long eyelashes fluttering softly against his cheekbones. She loved to watch him as he slept, memorizing every detail, every curve of his handsome face. 

How many countless nights had she spent over the last year and a half watching him sleep instead of being more mindful of their surroundings, dreaming of what a life spent with him as her husband, her lover would be like?

Reaching out, she gently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, careful not to wake him. He looked exhausted as well, needing sleep probably just as much as she did if not more. She was just glad that she didn’t wake him this time with her nightmares.

She felt sorrow prick deep inside her heart, knowing the pain and anguish that she had caused him, the hurt that he felt with her refusal to tell him all the sordid details of her time to the Underworld. In her heart, she knew it was best this way.

As much as she needed him, ached for him to heal her every hurt, Kahlan knew that telling him would only hurt him more than he already was and she couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t risk him hating her in the end. That would kill her more than what she was going through now.

Hearing a rumbling snore, Kahlan looked to find Zedd sleeping on the other side of the campfire, his eyes open and staring at nothing despite his deep slumber. Even though she knew it was the way of the Wizards, it still left an unsettling feeling inside of her. 

Absentmindedly scratching her arm, she got to her feet to see if there was anything left from dinner last night. Richard had come to wake her to eat, but she hadn’t felt like it at the time, telling him that she was tired. In reality, the headache had still been too bad to even lift her head, the thought of even moving making her nauseous.

Checking their supplies, she pulled an apple from the pack before settling down beside the fire. Her forearm burned like the fire blazing before her, but she couldn’t worry about it right now. She had too many other things weighing heavily on her heart and mind.

She had to find a way to stop the nightmares from coming, to ease the tension that had gripped her body since being rescued from the Underworld. She was on edge, a constant feeling as though someone was with her, watching her, lingering just beneath her skin. A chill shivered through her causing her to tremble again. She looked around to find no one there with her except for the sleeping Seeker and Wizard.

Maybe it was just Cara. She had to be nearby, scouting the area for trouble.

Taking a bite of her apple, she chewed softly as she stared into the fire. She wished that Richard was awake to sit with her, to hold her close in his warm embrace, but she couldn’t wake him for something as foolish as that. 

She felt so alone for some reason, so fearful that something was going on, something that was far beyond her control. She hoped it was just some lingering effects of everything that had happened, her visit to the world of the dead, but she had a growing suspicion that it was more than that.

Something inside of her was different, but she didn’t know what it was.

Kahlan gasped as a sudden sharp pain shot through her skull, the headache abruptly returning with full force. Dropping her apple, she grabbed her head, squeezing her eyes closed against the overwhelming pain. It nearly stole her breath away as she rocked back and forth in a futile attempt to make it stop.

A high-pitched ringing filled her ears as she fought to remain conscious. It felt as though something was tearing her apart from the inside out. She wanted to wake Richard and Zedd, but she couldn’t even open her mouth to speak or scream. Tears began to leak from her eyes as she somehow managed to crawl back to her bedroll.

Rolling up into a tight ball, Kahlan grabbed her head again, closing her eyes and praying for the pain to finally stop.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 6

Kahlan awoke to the comforting feel of a hand gently rubbing her back, her name a soothing melody prodding her senses awake. She didn’t want to wake up and yet she didn’t want to sleep any longer for fear of the haunting dreams that constantly plagued her every time she closed her eyes. 

Opening her eyes, she found herself staring into the chocolate orbs that gave her heart wings, a sweet smile on his lips and a tentative expression on his handsome face. She fought against the irresistible urge to reach out and touch his cheek, to pull him in for a kiss, but she couldn’t give into her feelings for him no matter how much it hurt.

“I’m sorry to have to wake you, but we need to get moving soon,” Richard softly told her.

She stared at him for a long moment, allowing herself the luxury of drowning in his warm gaze filled with such incredible love for her that she could barely breathe sometimes. She permitted herself to momentarily believe that the tension between them was gone, that they were able to share the same bed, and life was normal for once…or as normal as life ever got for them. She imagined how amazing it would be to wake to those eyes as well as his kisses every morning, to know the sweet thrill of his touch, his passion every night.

Folding his hands in his lap, Richard sat back on his heels as he waited for the groggy haze of sleep to fade away from her blue eyes, wanting more than anything to be holding her close to him, kissing her awake. But she needed time more than anything and he would give her all the time in the world if that was what she needed from him right now. For her, he would do anything.

He hoped that she had slept better last night, her sleep free from his wicked brother’s ghostly presence. Despite his best efforts to stay awake in case she needed him, exhaustion had ultimately won out, dragging him against his will into its welcoming depths.

Kahlan lay on her side just relishing the feel of his nearness, bringing her more peace than anything in this world ever could. She wished that they could just stay here together forever, alone and away from all the chaos that seemed to relentlessly follow them everywhere they went.

She was relieved to find the headache had finally subsided some during the night, allowing her to sleep at least for a little while. Unfortunately, Darken Rahl had had other plans, paralyzing her once again in a never-ending nightmare that continued to torment her with things that she’d sooner bury and forget then relive every night.

Richard noticed a thoughtful look filling her eyes, a curious contemplation of sorts that sparked his own curiosity as to what she was thinking about. There was an element of longing swimming there as well that heated his blood, but he forcefully shoved those feelings aside.

“You seemed to have slept better last night,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “Is your headache any better?”

“Somewhat,” she sleepily murmured as she forced herself to sit up, hoping he wouldn’t ask her about the dreams again. Things were already somewhat difficult between them without adding to it with his malicious brother’s continual reappearance in her sleep.

Kahlan momentarily held her head in her hands as she fought to banish the cobwebs lingering in her brain. She was so exhausted, her mind so fuzzy making it difficult to think straight sometimes. Her head continued to throb, but it was nothing compared to the horrific headache that had suddenly gripped her in the middle of the night nearly causing her to pass-out.

“Here…I saved you some breakfast,” he told her as he handed her a bowl of leftover rabbit stew, resisting the urge to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“Zedd and Cara are all ready to go?” she asked as she quickly looked about her, suddenly anxious with the thought that she was holding everyone up. She hated being the one to slow them down.

Zedd and Cara’s packs sat ready by a tree on the far side of the camp, but the Wizard and Mord’Sith were nowhere in sight. “Zedd and Cara are out scouting the area one last time before we leave,” he told her as if reading her mind. “Don’t worry…take your time. We all agreed that you needed to sleep as long as possible.”

“You still shouldn’t have let me sleep so long,” she frowned as she took a bite of stew.

“Kahlan, you need it,” he insisted, his forehead creased as he studied her face. Instead of looking better, she was looking more fatigued than before, dark shadows beginning to form beneath her eyes. “I just wish I could’ve let you sleep longer.”

“I’ll rest after we find the Stone and stop your brother and the Keeper.”

“Here, let me check your arm before we go,” he said, gently taking her hand and pushing her sleeve up.

Richard frowned at the sight of the mark on her forearm. It didn’t appear to be any better than it did last night after applying the poultice to it. In fact, it looked a little worse. It had spread some, taking on an unusual shape that he’d never seen before.

“We’re going to have to have Zedd take a look at this when they get back,” he muttered more to himself than to his Confessor.

“I’m sure it’s just a bug bite of some kind,” she attempted to brush off as nothing. “It’ll go away on its own.”

“Kahlan, I’ve never in all my years as a woods’ guide seen a mark like this before,” he insisted. “Something’s not right about this. It could the cause of your headache.”

She didn’t feel like arguing with him, not when she wanted nothing more than to be held by him, to be buried deep in his warm embrace, for him to be buried deep within her. She stared at her breakfast, wanting to tell him what he so desperately wanted to know about what had happened to her in the Underworld, but she just couldn’t. She couldn’t bear to see the pain and fury that would fill his eyes, the humiliation of what had happened. She had enough shame for the both of them right now without talking about it and dragging him into her hell. 

The tension between them still hung like a dark smothering shroud separating them and piercing his heart. It was difficult knowing that something horrifying had happened to her and not be able to help her through it, to hold her and share in her pain. He just wished that she would talk to him, let him in so they could deal with everything that had happened to her together instead of trying to cope with it alone.

Kahlan finally looked up to meet his intense gaze, shaken by the depths of his sorrow that she saw residing there. He was hurting just as much as she was if not more. She had died twice on him only to pull away from him now. She couldn’t begin to imagine surviving losing him once let alone twice.

There was an awkward strain that had enveloped them both and yet separated them as far and as deep as a stormy sea. She hated it. She just wanted things to be like they had been before. She hoped that resuming the search for the Stone of Tears would help put things back to normal, back to the way that it had been.

Richard suddenly drew a deep breath as he took her hand in his, his frustrations simmering just below the surface. He could feel her tense for a moment, causing his heart to sink like a stone in his chest. He wanted her to trust him with all of her hurts, to willingly come to him with all of her joy as well as her pain.

“Kahlan, I’m sor…” he began before suddenly stopping with a ragged frustrated sigh, searching for the right words that would help her see that she could tell him anything and he’d never love her any less.

A loud rumble abruptly began to shake the ground causing both of them to leap to their feet, their hands going for their weapons. The earth suddenly began to split and crumble right before their eyes, giving way to a rift that seemed to erupt out of nowhere, tearing through the earth as easily as a knife through butter.

Losing their balance, Richard immediately grabbed hold of Kahlan’s hand, pulling her back as the rift split right down the center of their campsite. Zedd and Cara raced into the clearing at that moment from the other side. They were brought to an abrupt halt by the great divide that now separated them from the Seeker and Mother Confessor, the Wizard grabbing hold of Cara to keep her from falling over the rocky edge.

“Stay back!” Richard shouted to them over the loud rumble that rolled like violent thunder as the Underworld attempted to drag them all in.

“Now what are we going to do?” Cara growled. “There’s no telling how long this stretches.”

“There’s no way across this thing!” Richard yelled to them. “It’s too wide!”

“We’ll have to find another way around,” Zedd called back. “Which way is the compass pointing?”

“It’s still pointing towards that valley to the west,” Richard told them, turning briefly to look behind him.

“There’s a primitive tribe called the Aku that lives in that valley,” Cara yelled. “Be careful. I don’t think they’re very welcoming to strangers.”

“We’ll meet up with you down in that valley then,” Zedd said.

“You spelled my boots again, didn’t you?”

“You know me too well, my boy,” Zedd grinned.

“Be careful!” Cara yelled. “D’Haran Quads could be showing up at any time. I don’t want to have to rescue you again.”

“You be careful too,” Richard called back. “Catch up as soon as you can.”

Richard and Kahlan watched as Zedd and Cara gradually disappeared behind a screen of green smoke and ash that suddenly spewed forth from the giant crack in the earth that stretched both ways as far as the eye could see. The Seeker stared at the gaping rift before him, his hands balling into furious fists. Kahlan could see the worry that filled his eyes, sense his ever-growing panic.

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention back to her. “Richard, it’s alright,” she reassured him. “We’ll find the Stone and stop this. I promise.”

Richard silently nodded his head in response, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Every time another rift suddenly appears, it just reminds me of how this is all my fault. I’m responsible for all of this destruction, Kahlan. It’s because of me.”

“This is not your fault, Richard,” she adamantly stated, taking his hand firmly in his. “There’s no way that you could’ve known that destroying the Boxes of Orden would tear the veil.”

“Good intentions or not, I still caused this,” he angrily shook his head, his other hand sweeping out over the rift before them. “If Darken Rahl and the Keeper escape…it’ll all be because of me.”

“You can’t think like that,” she said, tightening her hold on his hand, lacing her fingers through his. “I believe in you, Richard. I know that you will fix this. We won’t stop until we find the Stone.”

Richard turned to gaze into her blue eyes filled with such conviction that he couldn’t help but believe her. He softly brushed his thumb across the back of her hand as he just absorbed her strength, her faith in him. Spirits, she meant everything in this world to him.

“Thank you, Kahlan,” he replied. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

“You won’t have to,” she reassured him, giving him his special smile. “I’m not going anywhere except where you lead.”

Peace seemed to drift over both of them, temporarily washing away the strain between them. She wished it would last forever, but she knew deep down that unless they finally dealt with the things they were both struggling with, the tension would follow them like a hopeless haunting shadow everywhere they went.

XXX

“I don’t like this one bit,” Cara spat out, pulling a strand of blond hair behind her ear as they began to pick their way back through the woods.

“Oh come, come, my dear Cara,” Zedd replied with a glint in his eye. “I’m not that bad to keep company with. In fact, some women find my company quite pleasurable.”

“No, not you,” she huffed in irritation, adjusting her pack on her shoulder. “I don’t like being separated from Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor like this. I can’t protect them if I’m not with them.”

Zedd smiled at the Mord’Sith’s concern for their friends. “I’m sure they are more than capable of taking care of themselves. They aren’t the Seeker and Mother Confessor for no good reason at all.”

“You know as well as I do that those two are more capable of getting into trouble than actually staying out of it.”

“I’m sure that we’ll catch up with them in no time at all,” Zedd reassured her. “Besides, I think those two could use some time alone right now.”

“Why?”

“Things have been pretty tense between them since Demos brought Kahlan back from the dead,” he told her. “I think it will be good for them to be without us hanging around them.”

“They just need to get around her magic so they can finally be together,” she suddenly smirked. “That would solve a lot of their problems.”

“It’s not just that kind of tension although I’m sure that’s a part of it,” Zedd replied with a heavy sigh. “They’ve been through so much lately. It’s going to take some time for them to heal after what they went through.”

“And we don’t have the luxury of time with Demos planning only Creator knows what,” she scowled as she ducked beneath a low-lying branch.

“They’ll find their way through this,” the Wizard smiled knowingly to himself. “Their love is too powerful to break over something like what they’re going through now. This will only make their love stronger in the end.”

“Now, if only Richard can find a way around Kahlan’s magic,” she rolled her eyes.

“I have a very good feeling that they will find a way to be together in time,” he told her.

“You sound pretty confident,” she replied, pulling him to a sudden stop, her gaze narrowing suspiciously at him. “What do you know about this, Wizard? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Who? Me?” he asked, feigning innocence, his hand coming to rest against his chest. “Why I wouldn’t have the faintest clue as to what you could possibly be referring to.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” she muttered, pursing her lips as she studied him. “If you know something, you best be sharing it with Richard before they both go crazy.”

Zedd chuckled softly at the Mord’Sith as he turned to follow her. He would love more than anything to be able to share the special secret to loving a Confessor, but his grandson was going to have to figure it out on his own if it was going to work for them.

And he had a very good feeling that his grandson was very close to figuring it out for himself.

XXX

General Egremont fought the overwhelming urge to clear his throat or tap his foot against the marble floor to get his Lord Rahl’s attention. He had been patiently standing there waiting for the better part of an hour as Demos skimmed through his book.

He knew full well that the General was there waiting to deliver news, but refused to acknowledge his presence. It was an ever-infuriating quirk that his twin Darken Rahl had never done. Egremont found himself missing his former master.

Although unpredictable at times, he knew for the most part what to expect. With Demos, however, his behavior was erratic at best and highly peculiar, leaving the General feeling very unnerved at times.

These long, drawn-out periods of time where Egremont was made to wait like an insolent child being punished was degrading and more than a little humiliating. And he was certain that was why Demos did it.

He thrived on humiliating and crushing the spirit of those that were beneath him which was pretty much everyone. He took great delight in their pain and suffering, a wicked sense of satisfaction. It was probably for that very reason he loved taking virgins to his bed, defiling them in the most obscene demonstration of humiliation and disgrace.

Egremont had for so long believed that no one could have ever been more wretched then Darken Rahl. Demos had proven him wrong over and over again with every young woman or Mord’Sith that he took to his bedchambers, breaking them sometimes beyond repair.

The General cast a glance at the statuesque Mord’Sith standing in the corner. Mistress Lucinda had recently become Demos’s favorite, his ever-present shadow accompanying him almost everywhere he went.

Her mahogany braid hung over her shoulder, the deep red of her hair standing out brilliantly in the sunlight streaming in the nearby window she stood before. Her dark brown eyes were fixed solely on Demos, her face expressionless, revealing nothing about what was going on inside that head of hers.

She was one the strongest Mord’Sith he’d ever met, rivaling only Denna and Cara in abilities. It was actually quite surprising that Demos had chosen her as his favorite. She was the complete opposite of the women that he typically took to his bed.

As much as he thrived breaking people, especially virgins, Egremont had a sneaking suspicion that he liked to be broken and dominated himself as well at times.

“Alright, General Egremont,” Demos suddenly spoke, raising his hand to summon his first in command closer, his eyes still fixed on the book lying open on the pedestal before him. “What news have you brought?”

The General took several steps closer to Demos, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. “My Lord, the scouts have returned from Aydindril,” he informed him.

“And?” he snapped.

“And they feel it may be too risky to launch an attack on Aydindril right now.”

“I sent those scouts out weeks ago before I cast a spell on the Mother Confessor,” Demos replied, unruffled about the report. “Once the change has occurred and Kahlan finally belongs to me, we will be unstoppable. Not even Aydindril will be able to keep me from taking over.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Egremont dipped his head. “Any further orders?”

“Just prepare the army and await my orders,” Demos instructed him. “Once Kahlan arrives at the Palace and I have had a chance to break her, then she can be the one to lead our army in a war on her own city. Aydindril won’t know what to do when their very own Mother Confessor attacks them. They will crumble and bow at my feet before they even know what hit them.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 7

Richard cast a sidelong glance at his beautiful Confessor walking beside him but not nearly close enough for his liking and definitely not as close as they usually did. In the past when they would walk side-by-side, there would be an occasional brush of a hand against the other sending electric shocks up his arm, a shoulder softly bumping the other and creating a flutter inside or a shared smile. 

Now, there was nothing but air.

Loneliness overwhelmed him despite the fact that they’d been travelling a good portion of the day together. They had spoken little since leaving the rift as well as Zedd and Cara behind this morning. They had each been lost to their own private thoughts and struggles, attempting to work them out alone and steadily feeding the already suffocating air of tension between them. It was becoming like a third person following them everywhere they went, an invisible spirit that continually haunted them.

As the day had silently worn on, Richard’s loneliness and longing for her touch or even just her smile had only grown more fierce as the tension grew darker, gloomier, the distance between them expanding and pushing them farther apart like an ever-widening divide. And he hated it.

With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention back to the path before him, knowing that she needed time and he was more determined than ever to give that to her no matter how hard it was for him. He attempted to steel himself against his own heartache, shoving aside his own hurts and need for her. For her, he would do anything in this world no matter the pain it might cause him.

Kahlan glanced at her Seeker, her insides quivering with her need for him, but she couldn’t give in. She had to be strong, had to remain logical despite her deepest desires, despite Richard’s steadfast belief that his love for her would protect him.

Besides, she knew he was still upset that she hadn’t told him what Darken Rahl had done to her while she had been in the Underworld. She could see the hurt and the fear in his soulful eyes every time he looked at her, felt it in the distance that he put between them – both physical and emotional.

Kahlan hoped that with time that he would soon forget about it, move on and let it go, their quest to find the Stone taking precedence once more. She couldn’t bear telling him, couldn’t take the chance that he might end up hating her in the end if he knew.

A sharp pain pierced her heart with the thought, suddenly stealing her breath. The thought of losing Richard’s love nearly made her legs give out on her and though she knew they could never truly be together. She couldn’t lose him, couldn’t that happen no matter how badly she needed him right now.

She softly cursed under her breath, scratching her forearm again. It itched and burned relentlessly, driving her crazy. She knew without looking at it that it was getting worse, but she tried to force it from her mind. She had things worse than a bite mark going on right now to worry about.

Her headache was beginning to worsen again, her vision blurring with the growing intensity of it. She didn’t know why she was getting them all of the sudden like this, but it was the last thing that she needed right now. She had enough that she was trying to deal with.

Unable to keep his eyes off of her, Richard risked another sidelong glance at her. She looked exhausted, rubbing her forehead as a weary sigh escaped her lips and causing his worry to escalate once more. 

Without thinking, he instinctively moved closer to her, capturing her hand in his and pulling her to a stop. “Are you alright? Do you need to rest?” he asked, his forehead creased with concern.

Kahlan forced a smile to reassure him, but it was entirely unconvincing. “We can keep going.”

Realizing he was still holding her hand, he quickly released it, his hand coming to rest on the hilt of his sword instead, allowing the magical fury of it tingle up his arm. “Well, I need to rest,” he lied, turning towards a large tree off to the side before waiting for her response.

“Richard,” she sighed, knowing it was a losing battle to argue with him as he unbuckled his sword and removed his pack before settling beneath the cool shade of the tree.

Kahlan slowly made her way to him, a nervous flutter in her stomach as she removed her pack. He looked so very handsome sitting there waiting for her to join him, the gentle breeze lifting the longer strands of his hair that framed his tanned face, the dappled sunlight breaking through the leaves creating a warm shadowy glow about him.

She sat down in the grass, maintaining some distance between them when all she wanted was to throw him to the ground and make love with him right there, but she feared hurting him more than she already had. She pulled her water skin from her pack, pulling the top off and taking a long drink, silently praying that he wouldn’t push her again about Darken Rahl.

She feared she wouldn’t be able to deny him for much longer, knowing how much she was hurting him. She could feel her love for him growing stronger, her need for him burning hotter in her core. She felt flushed even sitting this close to him as a warm tingling flooded her veins, her resolve beginning to falter.

Watching her, Richard couldn’t help the longing inside of him that continued to grow and intensify, making his breath catch in his chest. He had never wanted anything in his entire life like he wanted her, wanted her to belong to no one but him in every way imaginable.

He ached to touch her, to feel her soft lips moving urgently against his, but more than even that he wanted her to be alright again, to just be his Kahlan again.

Richard tensed his body in an effort to keep from reaching over and touching her when he wanted so desperately to make love to her in the tall grasses, to at last unleash the passion that was teeming so hotly in his core demanding release. He was dying to give himself to her, to show her with his hands, his mouth, his body what beat in his heart for her.

“I wonder how Zedd is fairing travelling with Cara,” he finally said, wanting to break the uneasy silence.

Kahlan chuckled softly at the thought. “I can only imagine,” she shook her head at the thought. “I’m sure Cara’s as agitated as a hornet with us being separated like this.”

Richard chuckled with her at the picture that was taking shape in his mind, the fiery Mord’Sith stomping through the woods with his grandfather leisurely following behind her munching on an apple. “I’m sure she’s pushing him hard to make it around that rift so they can catch up with us.”

“His stomach won’t allow it.”

“It’ll only irritate her all the more.”

Silence suddenly drifted between them again, the tension quickly rising once more. Kahlan picked at the green blades of grass before her, avoiding making eye contact with her handsome Seeker. She lightly chewed on her bottom lip as she attempted to think of a way to fix things between them again, to ease his fears and reassure him of her love for him.

Richard could see the indecision in her downcast face, the telltale creasing of her forehead that told him she was struggling with things that she couldn’t give voice to yet. It was the fine lines etched into the corners of her eyes that told him the headache was worsening. 

The way she bit her bottom lip was driving him wild, his arousal growing warmer by the moment. Unable to bear it any longer, he finally reached over and brushed his fingers lightly along the delicate curve of her face before tucking her hair behind her ear. “Headaches are getting worse again, aren’t they?” he frowned.

There was no need for her to try to deny it; he could see it in her eyes. He knew all too well how severe headaches could get, the crippling pain that made death look like a welcoming alternative. He didn’t want her to ever be in pain like he had been, experiencing something that made her want to end her life.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, relishing the feel of his hand so warm and gentle against her cheek. “Yes…somewhat,” she finally admitted with a weary sigh, knowing it was pointless to try to lie to him.

Richard allowed his hand to fall away when all he wanted to do was to pull her closer, to kiss her until they were both left panting for so much more. “Why don’t you try and sleep for a little while?” he suggested. “It might help. I can keep watch over you.”

She averted her eyes, unable to meet the intensity in his heated gaze, the longing that always simmered there in those dark chocolate depths. “I’d rather not,” she softly murmured, unable to stop the shudder that rolled through her. 

The night terrors that plagued her sleep were growing more violent than what Darken Rahl had actually done to her, finishing what he had started in the Underworld in her nightmares and leaving her trembling in uncontrollable fear. She was growing terrified to even close her eyes.

He watched as Kahlan drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs. She had been sitting like that more frequently since being saved from the Underworld. She looked so small and broken when she pulled herself away from him, so very fragile and vulnerable. He wanted her to let him in and allow him to help her heal, but she didn’t want him right now and that hurt him more than anything.

“Kahlan…please…” he began, desperately trying to ease the tension between them as well as mend both of their hurting hearts. Unfortunately, a sharp snapping sound coming from the nearby woods brought him to an abrupt stop.

Kahlan turned too at the intrusive sound, her body tense for another reason altogether now. She slowly reached for her daggers as Richard pulled his sword free, its unmistakable ring slicing through the still afternoon air.

Standing to their feet, they silently waited, listening for any more noises that warned them of an impending attack, the tribe that Cara had warned them about finally about to show themselves. He slowly walked to the line of trees behind them, waiting and watching, searching for a source for the sound they had heard.

Cara had warned them about the Aku in this valley, their disdain for outsiders. Richard feared that they may have just come across them as his narrowed gaze searched the thick line of trees. He didn’t want to fight with them. He only wanted to get through this valley that seemed to stretch forever, meet up with Zedd and Cara and find the Stone.

After several moments of nothing but silence, Richard finally sheathed his sword. Turning back to Kahlan, he found her suddenly bent over, grabbing her head, her eyes squeezed tightly closed, her teeth clenched in excruciating pain.

“Kahlan!” he cried as he rushed to her side. 

He immediately bent over, wrapping his arm around her, his heart racing with panic. He felt so helpless as he eased her down to the ground and pulled her into his arms. Watching her suffer like this, knowing what she was going through was killing him inside.

Kahlan curled up into a tight ball as she lay in his lap holding her head. She gritted her teeth against the piercing pain that felt like lightning bolts tearing through her skull. She panted against the pain, trying to catch her breath as tears slowly began to leak from her eyes. She dug her fingers into her head in a futile attempt to make it stop but it was useless. 

She barely registered Richard’s hold on her or the fact that she was lying in his lap. The only thing she knew was intense pain the likes of which she’d never felt before. It was like something trying to steal her sanity as it ate away at her mind.

Panic seized his heart, causing it to race as dread welled within. He gently rocked her in his arms as he brushed her hair from her face. She was pale, her skin icy cold to his touch despite the sweat that was beginning to form on her brow. Spirits, what was happening to her?

“Kahlan, what can I do for you?” he asked, his voice revealing his helpless panic.

Kahlan sucked in a sharp breath, fighting to remain conscious when all she wanted to do at that moment was to sink into the black oblivion that she felt tugging at her senses. “Nothing,” she gasped. “Just…just give me…a moment.”

Richard’s heart was in his throat as the minutes slowly ticked by, wishing there was something he could do for her, but there was nothing he could do. He had given his Han to Sister Nicci. He was powerless to do anything but hold her. 

He could feel her begin to relax in his arms giving him a small measure of hope. “Kahlan?” he tentatively said as she began to sit up.

“It’s beginning to pass,” she breathlessly replied as her vision began to clear again.

Richard sat back on his heels as he studied her, trying to determine if she was telling him the truth or not. She was still in obvious pain, but she was beginning to get a little more color back in her cheeks, her breathing starting to return to normal.

“How often are you getting these headaches?” he asked.

“It’s been constant since I woke the day before last, but it’s only been this severe one other time.”

“What other time?” he pressed.

“Last night,” she admitted, rubbing her temples.

“Kahlan, why didn’t you wake me?” he frowned.

“You need your sleep as well, Richard,” she told him. “I know you couldn’t have slept well the night you saved me, not with me fighting you all night long in my sleep.”

“That’s beside the point, Kahlan,” he heatedly replied, seizing her hand and holding it tightly in his. “I want you to wake me if something’s wrong. I want you to need me, Kahlan.”

Hurt mingled with anger in his heated gaze causing her chest to constrict. She had never meant to hurt him again and she definitely didn’t like him being angry with her. She never wanted to be the cause of that look on his face that was veiling it now.

“I’m sorry, Richard,” she murmured, a rush of heated tears suddenly filling her eyes. How had everything become so messed up between them?

Seeing her blue eyes brimming with tears was like a dagger being driven into his gut. He quickly pulled her into his arms, fear a stranglehold on his heart. “Spirits, I’m just so terrified of losing you all over again,” he softly admitted into her hair, tears threatening to rise in his own eyes.

He held her close, relaxing slightly when she finally wrapped her arms around him. He inhaled deeply, breathing her in and savoring the feel of her in his arms. He never wanted the moment to end, but he knew that they needed to leave. He had a bad feeling that whatever had made that sound just moments ago was still there somewhere watching, waiting.

Richard reluctantly pulled back, brushing her hair from her face, thankful that she had allowed him to hold her even for a moment. “Are you alright to keep moving?”

“Yes,” she quickly nodded as she disentangled herself from his embrace and reached for her backpack, her Confessor’s mask slipping into place once more which did not go unnoticed by her Seeker.

“I don’t want to stay our here in the open any longer than necessary,” he said as he buckled his sword around his waist. “It’s going to be dark soon. We’ll need to find someplace safe to make camp for the night.”

“Do you think that we’re being followed?” she frowned, sliding her arms through the straps of her pack.

“I don’t know, but I’m not sticking around here to find out,” he replied before suddenly grabbing her hand and heading back towards the path.

XXX

Watching the man and woman leave, he slowly lowered his bow and arrow, his eyes narrowing with deep suspicion. Outsiders were not welcome on Aku land, would not be allowed to pass through their valley.

He kept his arrow out just in case, following them from the dark shadows of the woods. He would have to inform the council that outsiders had been discovered. They would send the hunting party after them, disposing of them with their usual deadly skill and placing their dead bodies on stakes for all outsiders to witness.

He had watched the man and woman as they had interacted with one another. The woman seemed to have a sick spirit, the man desperate to help her. There was something about the way that they acted with one another that had made him wonder if she was his mate. The way that they had looked at each other had told him they belonged together.

He had taken a curious step forward to get a better look, a dry branch snapping loudly beneath his bare foot. It had caused them both to pause and draw their weapons. The man had drawn a magnificent sword that made a strange ringing sound when removed from its casing. It had caught the sunlight causing him to momentarily be blinded by its brilliance.

He wanted that sword. It would make him the envy of the entire village. They might even name him “Tolla” of the elite hunting party, everyone following his lead and orders. He swore to himself that he’d have that sword one way or another.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 8

“If we have to stop every hour to fill your miserable stomach, we’re never going to catch up with Richard and Kahlan,” Cara groused, kicking a stone out of her way.

“I’m sure they’re fine, my dear,” Zedd insisted, plucking another yellow apple from the tree.

“I don’t know about that,” she scowled, crossing her arms against her chest as she stared absentmindedly at nothing in particular.

Zedd paused to stare at his red leather clad travelling companion, something in her tone making him take pause. “Why? What are you so worried about?” he questioned her, his white eyebrows knitting together. “Is it that tribe they might run into?”

“Yes, but I’m more worried about Richard,” she admitted.

“Why is that?” he frowned, his wrinkles deepening. “He’ll be fine now that Kahlan’s back with us. They just need some time alone to deal with everything that happened to them.”

“I hope so,” she muttered more to herself than the Wizard.

Zedd made his way over to where she stood leaning against a tree trunk, the distant worried look that haunted her eyes beginning to set him on edge now too. “Did he say something that makes you think that he’s not alright?”

Cara released a huff of annoyance as she tried to think how best to explain what she’d noticed in the Seeker. “There’s an edge to him now, an unsettled feeling I get from him,” she finally said. “There’s a cold hardness in his eyes like he’s struggling to control the rage inside of him again.”

“I noticed the look in his eyes too,” Zedd softly sighed. “I was hoping having Kahlan back with us again would help, but I’m afraid that it hasn’t so far. It almost seems like it’s gotten worse. Watching her trying to cope with what happened to her hasn’t helped any. He feels so powerless to help her.”

“She’s not doing much better than him,” she shook her head. “She looks like she could break at any moment.”

There was a softening around the Mord’Sith’s eyes, a genuine concern for the Seeker and Mother Confessor that touched his heart. “I’m afraid that they’re both in a very bad place right now, Cara,” Zedd sadly said. “I’m afraid they’re both feeling rather lost right now, but they’ll find their way back to each other. I truly believe that.”

“It doesn’t help that they’re barely talking to each other,” she scowled again, taking an apple from the Wizard’s arms.

“Well, it will help that they’re stuck together now,” he replied. “They’ll be forced to rely on each other again, to have to talk to one another.”

“Well, if they aren’t better when we finally meet up with them, I may have to force them to work things out whether they like it or not.”

“Let me gather a few more apples and we can be on our way again,” he said, turning back to his task. “Then we can head out and find a good place to settle for the night.”

“We better find a way around that rift tomorrow. I don’t like being separated longer than necessary.”

Zedd shifted his supply of apples in his arms as he reached for another. “I’m sure we will find a way around tomorrow.”

“If not, I’m forcing you to sprout wings and fly us over.”

Zedd chuckled with the Mord’Sith’s words. “That would be easy for me, but I don’t know about carrying you.”

“Are you implying something, Wizard?” she asked with a narrowed deadly glare, her hands finding her hips.

“Not at all, my dear,” he grunted as he plucked an apple from a particularly high limb. “Just simply saying that if I turn myself into a bird, it would be a little awkward trying to carry you over that rift.”

“Well, we better be sleeping with one eye open tonight or we won’t have to worry about getting across that damned rift,” she spat out in irritation.

“Why is that?” he stopped to stare at her.

“Last I knew, the Aku don’t take well to those trespassing in their valley,” Cara informed him, taking a bite of the sweet fruit. “They catch the slightest wind of intruders being here and if could be an all out war.”

XXX

Wandering through the darkening woods, Richard felt the tendrils of panic winding tightly around his heart, intertwining with the fear that already possessed it. His thoughts were preoccupied with nothing but Kahlan, worried about what could be happening to her now. 

He couldn’t shake the dreadful feeling that something was very wrong with her, something more than just recovering from everything that had happened to her in the Underworld.

He couldn’t seem to stop the anger and thirst for revenge that was eating away inside of him like a deadly virus, threatening to steal his sanity. He found himself so very angry at everything – furious over his brother’s interference in their lives and the threat that he brought to Kahlan, mad at Zedd for stopping him from killing Demos when he’d had the chance, angry with Kahlan for pulling away from him and shutting him out when all he wanted to do was hold her and love her forever.

But even more than all that, he was furious with himself for not being able to keep Kahlan safe like he needed to. He was the damn Seeker and he couldn’t even keep the woman he loved safe. How was he supposed to save the world from the Keeper?

Drawing a ragged breath, Richard abruptly stopped to draw his sword, the need for release becoming too much to withstand as it pounded through his veins. He gripped the sword tightly in his hands, his rage coursing like a mighty river now with the magic that washed through him. His hands began to shake, his chest rising and falling heavily. He could hardly breathe from the overwhelming flood of emotions teeming inside of him.

It felt as if a dam was suddenly breaking inside of him, unleashing a fierce firestorm inside of him that was swiftly spiraling beyond his control. He watched as the blade suddenly turned white with the intensity of his rage and anguish, his vision blurring.

Richard suddenly spun on his heel, the blade of his sword arcing and slicing through the air with deadly precision, cutting down a small oak tree as if it had been made of nothing but paper. Splinters flew through the air as he released a haunting scream of pure rage that violently tore from his lungs. Pine needles shook from limbs, leaves knocked free from branches with the sheer magical force of his fury that shot forth from him.

He abruptly fell to his knees exhausted, panting for every breath. His hands were still locked around his weapon, his knuckles white from the death-grip he held on it. He trembled violently with the intense release of his tormented emotions. He finally pried his fingers loose from the hilt of his sword, allowing it to drop to the ground.

Tears began to roll down his face, the horrifying ache still lingering inside of his heart despite what had just happened to him. He covered his face with his hands as he wept bitter tears, desperate for Kahlan to be alright again…for them to be alright again.

\----------

Sitting by the fire, Kahlan could think of little else, her mind and heart filled with Richard and how badly she had hurt him. There was such an overwhelming ache inside that only he could ever fill for her. She pulled her knees up, locking her arms around her legs to ward off the chill in her bones, curling up as small as she could.

She wanted to just disappear, to close her eyes and wake up to find everything the way it was before all that had happened. She knew she couldn’t go on like this, couldn’t bear this unbearable strain between her and Richard.

She was certain that it had to be a part of the reason for the headache she couldn’t get rid of, but at the same time she couldn’t tell Richard what his brother had done to her. She couldn’t bear to cause him any more pain. He had been through more than enough because of her.

But she had always been able to talk to him about anything, to share her heart with him. He always made her feel so safe, so special…so loved. She wanted to tell him everything, to share her hurt and shame, her anger over it all, to know that he still loved her and always would no matter what.

She felt tears rising in her throat again, but she refused to allow them to fully form. She needed to get a hold of her heart, her emotions that felt so out of control. She hated feeling like this, so lost and broken inside. She knew that Richard could help her, but she needed to do it herself this time. She’d put him through far too much already, causing him to struggle now.

She pressed her forehead against her knees, feeling so utterly alone. She missed his touch, his kisses, his smile that melted her heart like nothing she’d ever known before him. He always made her feel such amazing things inside, feelings she’d never known existed before she had met him.

This afternoon had been tense sitting with him under the shade of that tree, but his hand against her skin had been electric, thrilling her soul and reminding her of how things could be once again. She had wanted so very much more of him, but it could never be.

The sudden ring of the sword’s release caused her head to snap up, her eyes anxiously searching the trees that surrounded her. Leaping to her feet, she grabbed her daggers before racing in the direction of his enraged scream.

She trampled over foliage and dodged tree trunks to get to him, fearing that something had happened to him. She couldn’t lose him. Her heart was in her throat as she came to an abrupt stop behind some mulberry bushes, stunned to find her Seeker all alone.

Kahlan froze at the site of Richard kneeling on the ground weeping uncontrollably. The Sword of Truth lay on the ground beside him, what was left of a small tree on the other side of him. Splintered wood littered the ground around him, telling her what had happened.

Her Seeker’s agonizing sobs broke her heart, her own tears beginning to slip freely down her cheeks now. She so desperately wanted to go to him, gather him in her arms and hold him close, to beg for his forgiveness. She wanted to ease his pain and erase the questions that bombarded his mind about what had happened to her.

She wanted to go to him, to kiss him and never stop, to fully give herself over to him and the heated passion that demanded release. She wanted to be more than his Confessor, his friend and protector. She wanted to be his lover, the one who showed him unimaginable pleasure and brought him incredible release.

But she couldn’t, not without confessing him and losing the man that she had fallen so deeply in love with.

And she couldn’t go to him now. Going to him meant letting him in and she couldn’t do that. Telling him how Darken Rahl had hurt her would only feed his fury and guilt. She couldn’t do that to him no matter how much they needed each other at that moment.

Replacing her daggers, she silently turned to head back to camp, the sounds of his tears echoing in her ears and piercing her heart.

\----------

Richard didn’t know how long he had been kneeling there on the ground except that it had grown considerably darker now. He needed to return to camp to check on Kahlan to make sure she was alright. Besides that, she would be growing worried about him by now.

With a weary sigh, he picked up his sword and slid it into his scabbard as he stood to his feet. He scrubbed his face with his hands in an attempt to erase his tears. He wasn’t exactly certain what had happened, but he felt a little better.

The ache inside of his heart was still there, but his rage had lessened to a little more controllable level again. He just wanted to find Kahlan now, to kiss and hold her, to tell her how sorry he was for pushing her like he had. 

It was hard enough trying to deal with all that had happened over the last week without having this impenetrable wall trying to keep them even further apart, more so than her magic already had. He was determined to talk to her to tonight, to make things right between them again.

With a plan firmly in mind, he carefully made his way through the darkness of the woods, their campfire in the distance like a warm beacon drawing him home to her like a moth to a flame. He longed to feel her warmth, to bury his hands in her hair and kiss her like he truly wanted to.

He missed her beautiful smile, the way that her bright blue eyes always sparkled whenever she looked at him. Now, there was mostly just sadness there when she looked at him, a deep hurt that was beyond his reach, that he was powerless to erase for her.

Entering the clearing, Richard found her sitting by the campfire, her chin resting on her drawn up knees. Her face was wet with tears, the weight of her anguish filling the very air around her and threatening to suck him in.

“Kahlan,” he softly said as he made his way to her. “What’s wrong?”

She quickly wiped the tears from her face, forcing a smile to her lips. “Nothing…I’m fine,” she replied, getting to her feet. “I’m not tired. I’ll take first watch tonight.”

His heart was beginning to hammer, his need to make her stay and talk to him becoming undeniable now. “Kahlan, stop,” he said a little firmer, his anger still simmering just beneath the surface.

“You look tired, Richard,” she continued, concern etched in her beautiful face. “I want you to sleep. You need it more than I do.”

He quickly grabbed hold of her arm as she tried to move past him. He was not about to let this go on much longer. “Stop, Kahlan,” he growled, forcefully pulling her flush against him and holding her close. 

He suddenly kissed her with all of the pent up passion and anger that had been teeming inside of him. His kiss was hard and fiercely demanding, his hands greedily roaming over her, not about to let her go this time.

Kahlan tried to resist him, tried to push him away, but finally surrendered to him, returning his kiss, his passion as her hands slid up into his hair, gripping him tightly. His tongue was suddenly filling her mouth, stroking her and silently pleading with her to let him inside in every way.

The need for air was becoming more demanding, but Richard ignored it, refusing to let her go. Instead, he pulled her even closer against him, needing her now more than ever before. His hands drifted over her back before finding her backside, pressing her firmly into his hardening arousal.

Kahlan moaned into his mouth at the feel of him, knowing it was her that was doing this to him, her that made him react like this. It was her that he wanted, her that he loved, her that aroused and excited him so fully.

Finally pulling back with a gasp for air, Richard swiftly crushed his lips to hers again, his arousal pounding through his veins like ocean waves against a rocky shoreline. A hand fell away from her backside to skim along her neck until he found the clasps of her jacket. He needed her, needed to feel her reassuring touch, her love. He needed her comfort, her soft caress. He needed her to be alright, to be his Kahlan again, his best friend.

He needed her to be his lover now.

“Richard,” Kahlan softly moaned as she swiftly began to lose herself to the passion he was stirring deep within her, her magic rising like a deadly cobra.

“Kahlan, it’s alright,” he murmured, pressing his lips to hers and abruptly ending her protest.

Kahlan knew she had to stop this now, her mind telling her to push him away, her heart begging her to pull him closer. She wanted him to fill her both emotionally and physically, to fill the empty void in her heart and in her core.

She ached so painfully to feel him moving within her, to feel their limbs tangled together, not knowing where he began and she ended as he took her. She wanted to feel him as he pressed into her, showing her how much he loved her, needed her.

“No,” she gasped in protest as he began to kiss along her throat, his hands inside her jacket and stroking the sides of her breasts through her corset. “Stop.”

“You don’t want me to stop, Kahlan,” he breathed against her ear, sending a shiver up her spine. “I can feel the struggle inside of you. Trust me – trust my love for you.”

“I want to…Spirits…” she panted as he continued to caress her, raking his teeth along her earlobe. “I want you…”

“Please…let me love you, Kahlan,” he whispered.

“We…we can’t…” she shook her head as she began to pull away, her magic tingling just beneath her skin.

“Don’t push me away, Kahlan,” he told her, his anger mingling with his wanton need for her as he grasped hold her arms to keep her from leaving. “Let me in…please, at the very least…talk to me.”

“I’ll take first watch,” she murmured as she fought to catch her breath, jerking free from his hold on her and swiftly pushing past him as she refastened her jacket.

“Damn it, Kahlan!” he growled, turning and capturing her hand firmly in his. “Talk to me!”

Just then, warriors began pouring from the surrounding woods, their arrows pointed directly at them. Richard immediately pulled Kahlan behind him before drawing his sword, its ring causing the men surrounding them to take a step back.

“I don’t want to fight you,” the Seeker warned them, his eyes darkening with the storm of rage that suddenly filled them replacing the passion that had just been there. “Just let us pass through and we won’t cause any trouble.”

The Aku warriors all stared at the Seeker and Mother Confessor with a deadly glare, black paint creating a menacing dark ban across their eyes and nose giving them an even greater air of fierceness. No one moved as they stared at each other, no one coming forward as their leader.

Kahlan suddenly grabbed her head, her teeth clenched tightly as she dropped to her knees. It felt as though her skull was splitting open as she fought to catch her breath. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to force the excruciating pain away. This couldn’t have come at the worst time. She needed to be able to confess them if they started a fight, to protect Richard. She couldn’t do that with this pain crippling her like this.

“Kahlan!” Richard cried as he turned to look down at his Confessor kneeling beside him, panic suddenly warring with the rage coursing through his blood.

Things had just gone from bad to worse.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 9

Demos Rahl closed his eyes, breathing deeply and relishing the magical whisper that faintly pulsated within him, a sensation that was steadily growing stronger every day. A smile slowly began to spread across his narrow face as he finally opened his eyes, his gaze falling on his favorite Mord’Sith.

“What is it, my Lord?” Mistress Lucinda inquired, standing at attention, her hands clasped tightly behind her back.

Demos released a self-satisfied sigh as he turned away from the magical book before him to face his Mord’Sith. “I can already feel the connection with Kahlan Amnell,” he smiled. “It’s growing stronger every day.”

Lucinda clenched her jaw tightly, jealously over his connection to the Mother Confessor welling inside of her. She was all that he talked about, consuming his days as well as his nights. She had hoped that his infatuation with Kahlan Amnell would have diminished the longer that she was gone, but it had unfortunately only grown worse.

“The spell is taking hold nicely,” he told her. “Soon, she won’t be able to fight its pull on her and then she’ll be all mine.”

“She won’t fight you?”

“No, she’ll try to in the beginning, but she won’t be able to disobey me in the end. She’ll be fully under my control,” he replied, coming around the podium to stand before his Mord’Sith. “Once the spell has taken hold, Kahlan will be my puppet and I the puppeteer pulling her strings.”

“You will no longer want my services,” she softly said with a tilt of her head, keeping her voice even.

It was more of a statement than a question, but her disappointment didn’t go unnoticed by her Lord Rahl. “You will always be my favorite pet, my Lucinda,” he purred, running a single finger along her face, a wicked gleam in his eyes. He slid the palm of his hand along her neck before suddenly reaching behind to grab her braid and roughly wrench her head back.

Lucinda hissed with the pleasure that suddenly shot through her with his rough unexpected move, knowing better than to touch him until he was ready for her to participate. He nipped along her jaw, pausing to suck hard on her skin, making sure to leave his mark on her. She parted her lips, her breaths becoming ragged as his other hand slid down her chest, then along her abdomen before sliding around to grab her backside.

“You will both join me in my bed, bringing me incredible pleasure…along with pain,” he murmured before dragging his tongue and lips along her chin to her mouth. He shoved her hard up against the wall behind her, knocking the air from her lungs with a gasp as he pressed his body fully into hers.

“I believe you are in need of my services again,” Lucinda panted softly, her hand finally slipping down between them to grope him through his robes.

She watched with great satisfaction as his eyes fluttered closed, his mouth dropping open with a sudden sharp gasp. The more she touched him, the more his body began to tremble, his control faltering. The Mother Confessor could never do for him what she was capable of doing. He would soon realize that and be rid of her once his fascination with her vanished.

And if he didn’t do away with her, then she would.

XXX

Breathing heavily, Richard stared down each of the deadly warriors in turn, knowing that he was in a no-win situation. There was nothing he could do. They were greatly outnumbered and Kahlan was practically paralyzed with pain. Besides, he didn’t want to fight these people, killing innocent men just to pass through their valley.

The Seeker carefully sheathed his sword, holding up his hands in surrender. “We don’t want any trouble,” he told them before turning his attention to his Confessor rocking back and forth on her knees in the grass as she held her head. “Please, you have to help me. There’s something wrong with the Mother Confessor. She needs a healer right away.”

Richard slowly bent down, wrapping his arms around her and pulling Kahlan to her feet. She quickly turned into him, burying herself into his chest as she continued to grip her head. He could feel her tears wet against his skin and knew that she couldn’t handle much more. He could tell that she was struggling just to remain conscious now.

“Richard…please…make it stop…” she pleaded through her tears.

The warriors inched closer to them, their arrows and spears leveled straight at them. Richard shielded her in his arms as best he could, his desperation growing. “Please, help me! She needs a healer now!” he growled, his rage pulsating hotly through his veins despite no longer touching his sword.

He swallowed hard against his own rising fear that something terrible was happening to her. He couldn’t lose her, not after just getting her back. He couldn’t go through that anguish again. He may be the Seeker, but he was still just a man in love with a woman and he knew he wasn’t strong enough to survive losing her all over again.

“We will take you back to our village,” a man taller than the others finally said as he lowered his spear.

“Tolla Nakunam!” one man hissed in astonishment. “You can’t be serious.”

“The woman has a sick spirit,” he replied with all the authority his title held. “We will take them to the village and have Odo look at her. Then, they will be tried before the Council of Elders as is the custom of our people.”

“We should kill them now and be done with it,” Temin scowled. “They are dangerous. Look at the deadly sword at his hip. He could slay us all in less than a heartbeat.”

“And she’s a Confessor,” Hadi spat out with disdain. “She’ll confess us all, make us her slaves or take one of us as her mate. We need to kill her now and take him back to the village.”

Richard tightened his hold on Kahlan as he listened to their arguing. Although he didn’t want to fight them, he was not about to let them hurt her either. He had to find a way to save her.

“Richard…please…help me…” she softly sobbed, pressing her head even harder against his chest in an effort to make it stop, twisting his shirt in her fingers as she clung to him.

“I’m going to help you, Kahlan,” he murmured into her hair, his dark raptor gaze focused on the warriors surrounding them. “Please…just hang on a little longer.”

“My decision is final,” Tolla Nakunam flatly stated, his heated glower moving from Hadi to Temin and back again before finally looking at the Seeker. “You and the Confessor will go with us to our village. We will help her and then you both will face the Council.”

Keeping a firm grasp on his Confessor, Richard guided her to walk with him, brushing his lips to her temple as she sagged against him. Her skin was like ice, her breathing ragged. Fear had a choke-hold on his heart as they began to make their way through the woods to spirits only knew where, his anger set to explode at any moment if they changed their minds and decided to kill them.

If they didn’t help him save her, he would not hesitate to destroy their entire village and burn it to ashes.

XXX

Richard was carrying her by the time they reached the village, his Confessor cradled protectively in his arms, her face buried in the crook of his neck. The feel of her warm breath pulsating softly against his skin brought back haunting memories of when he had carried her in his arms as she was dying, her breaths growing shallower the closer they drew to the People’s Palace.

Tears unexpectedly burned in his eyes, remembering how she had died then, her body so cold and lifeless in his arms, the devastating anguish that had welled up inside of him, nearly tearing him in two. His throat constricted as he brushed his lips against her brow, fighting to keep a tight grip on his emotions. She softly moaned his name, fighting to open her eyes but the pain was too severe as she drifted in and out of consciousness now.

“Hang on, Kahlan,” he whispered to her.

“Take them to the Spirit House,” Tolla Nakunam ordered. “Stand guard outside while I find Odo.”

Temin and Hadi scowled their disagreement with their leader’s decision but did as they were told, leading them towards a shelter much larger than any of the others. Richard watched as women and children stood outside of their small thatched huts to see the outsiders who had invaded their valley, their eyes large with wonder as children huddled close around their mothers’ bare legs.

Richard didn’t care about any of these people or their rapt fascination with them. The only thing that mattered to him was barely conscious in his arms now and he had no idea what the reason was or how to stop it. 

His mind raced with a possible cause for her sudden deterioration, but the only thing he could think of was the unusual bite mark on her forearm. He had to figure out what had made that mark to cause her to be like this.

“Richard…” she whispered, unable to make her voice work as she clutched the collar of his shirt.

“It’s alright; I’ve got you, Kahlan,” he gently soothed her as he carried her inside the Spirit House. “They’re getting a healer for you. You’re going to be alright.”

He heard the door close hard behind him, finally leaving him alone with his beloved Confessor. He carefully laid her down beside the fire that burned in the center of the large room, smoke curling up towards the hole in the roof. He settled down beside her, gently brushing her hair from her face, his hand coming to rest against her cheek.

Finding his hand against her face, Kahlan gripped it tightly in hers, interlocking her fingers with his and pressing their joined hands against her chest. “I’m sorry…” she murmured.

“Why are you sorry?”

“I’m so sorry, Richard…” she began to cry, her head rolling from side to side as tears leaked from her eyes.

“Kahlan, you have nothing to be sorry for,” he firmly said as he pulled free from her hold to cup her face in his hands. He leaned over her, softly pressing his lips to her forehead, her eyelids and nose before finally brushing softly against her mouth.

“No…you don’t understand…” she cried, ignoring his soothing kisses.

She suddenly tilted her head back, her hands finding her hair again, her tears falling faster as she arched her back. Nothing she did made the agonizing pain go away. It felt as though something was ripping her apart inside, attempting to destroy who she was. She was quickly losing herself, her control and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She knew they were in danger now that they were prisoners of the Aku, but she couldn’t function, could barely keep her eyes open with the lightning bolts tearing through her skull. She needed to protect Richard, keep him safe. She couldn’t do that like this.

She tried to sit up, knowing that she would need her magic to get them out of here. Gentle but firm hands pushed her back down, keeping her from getting up.

“Don’t Kahlan,” he gently insisted. “You need to stay down.”

“I…I need to protect you,” she shook her head in protest. “My…my magic…”

“Zedd doesn’t want you using your magic yet, remember?” he reminded her. “You need to be fully recovered first.”

“But…I have to protect you,” she tried again, attempting to sit up. “We have to get out of here.”

“Kahlan, stop,” he angrily said, pushing her back down again. “I’m fine. We’ll find a way out of this, but right now I need you to rest.”

“Don’t leave me…please, Richard,” she cried, her fingernails digging into her head.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he replied, gently pulling her hands away from her head and taking her face in his hands again. “I love you, Kahlan. I’m not going to lose you again. Do you hear me?”

He pulled her up by her arms, drawing her into his lap. He curled his body around hers, holding her close to him, her face buried into his chest. She clung to him like a child, fear over what was happening to her bringing more tears to her eyes.

“I’m scared,” she finally said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

“I’m scared too,” he softly admitted, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

“I feel like I’m losing myself somehow…like I’m losing control,” she whispered.

“I won’t let you, Kahlan,” he adamantly said, tightening his hold on her.

“You need to get out of here, Richard. You need to escape,” she told him.

Richard couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I’m not leaving you behind, Kahlan,” he angrily said, pulling back from her to look into her watery eyes.

“Please, you have to,” she shook her head, closing her eyes against his heated gaze. “If…if I lose control, I’ll confess you and I can’t live with myself if that happens.”

“You won’t lose control,” he replied, grabbing her by her upper arms and keeping her close to him. “Besides, I’m not afraid of you, Kahlan, or your magic. I want you to confess me so I can show you how much I love you.”

“No…you don’t mean that!” she angrily snapped, jerking free from his hold on her and scooting away from him. “You don’t know what you’re saying, Richard!”

“I know exactly what I’m saying, Kahlan,” he heatedly said, heartbroken by the distance she had put between them again. Why did she keep trying to push him away, to shut him out?

“No, you don’t, Richard!” she cried. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you, of you looking at me with those soulless eyes of mindless devotion. I won’t do that to you, Richard. I’d rather die than to be the one who erases everything that makes you the man I love.”

Richard studied her for a long moment, his chest heaving with the frustration and fear coursing through him. “You can’t confess me, Kahlan,” he told her, his anger punctuating his every word. “I love you more than life itself. I would already give everything I have for you, even my life. There is nothing left of me that your magic could possibly take that isn’t already yours.”

“And what if it’s still not enough?” she demanded to know, tears rolling down her cheeks.

They just stared at each other in awkward silence, the heated tension between them that had followed them since leaving that lake yesterday morning filling the Spirit House now. Their frustrations and fears, their hurts and their mutual longing were all intensifying, raging like a violent storm circling around and between them, enveloping them whole.

With a shuddering breath, Kahlan finally averted her eyes, drawing her legs up and pressing her head against her knees to stop the pain that only seemed to grow worse with every passing moment. She couldn’t stop the tears that continued to stream down her face, wishing more than anything that she and Richard could just get back to the way that things had been before.

The Seeker’s shoulders sagged as he watched her curl into herself and further away from him. How had everything gotten so turned upside down between them? He only wanted her to be safe, to be allowed to love her like he so desperately wanted.

But so many things had gotten in the way, trying to keep them apart and he felt so powerless to fix it.

Unable to bear it any longer, Richard scooted to sit beside Kahlan, tentatively wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his embrace, doing the only thing that he knew to do at that moment. “Come here,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Kahlan,”

“I love you…with all my heart…Richard…” she sobbed. “Please…don’t ask me to hurt what I love most in this world.” 

Richard released a ragged breath as he buried his face in her hair. He had never meant to hurt her or bring her pain and yet he had done it once again. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he softly sighed as he closed his eyes, gently rubbing her back. “We won’t talk about it again.”

He felt her begin to relax against him, her tears subsiding as they waited for the healer to come. Holding her close, she was the most precious thing in this life to him. Whatever she wanted, needed, he would be there to give it to her…even if it meant just being her friend and nothing more.

Kahlan finally pulled out of his embrace, a new wave of pain rippling through her head all over again. “I…I need to lie down.”

“Here,” he said, patting his lap.

To his surprise, Kahlan went willingly, laying down and allowing her head to rest in his lap. He tenderly rubbed her back while his other hand stroked her beautiful long hair that he loved so much. He was thankful that she was at least allowing him to do this for her, but his heart still hurt despite this small connection with her.

She curled up as the pain increased, her fingers finding his pant leg and clutching at it. She knew that she had hurt him, but confessing him would only make things that much worse. How could she make him see that what he was asking her to do would kill her inside? Didn’t he know it was like a dagger to her heart to deny him anything, to repeatedly push him away like this?

“It’ll be alright, Kahlan,” he softly soothed her as he ran his fingers through her hair. “The healer will take away your headaches and then we’ll find a way out of this. I won’t let them or anyone else hurt you.”

Kahlan reached up, grabbing his hand that was stroking her hair and interlocking their fingers. She squeezed his hand tightly, using her hand to tell him what she couldn’t say at that moment. If it came down to it, she would use her magic to save him even if it meant her life.

Richard’s heart was so weighed down with fear he could scarcely draw a breath as he held her hand in his. He could tell by her shallow gasping breaths that the pain was getting worse again, her body rigid as he continued to rub her back. 

He just prayed that the good spirits would send the healer to them soon. Even though he and Kahlan had been stripped of their weapons, he would not hesitate to do whatever it took to make them save her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 10

Standing outside of the Spirit House, Temin and Hadi were less than pleased with their newest assignment. Clutching their hunting spears tightly, they were rigid with anger and resentment for having been ordered to stand guard against outsiders who should have been eliminated on sight, not brought into their village.

However, Nakunam was the Tolla and they had little say in the matter. All they could do now was plead their case to Mitta and hope that she would choose to side with them over the Tolla, allowing them to kill the outsiders.

Hadi suddenly huffed loudly in anger as he leaned on his spear. “This is ridiculous,” he snapped. “We should just kill them, not invite them into our village like honored guests.”

“I agree,” Temin scowled, his sinister eyes darting suspiciously about watching the shifting shadows around them. “I saw that sword first. It should belong to me now, not Tolla Nakunam.”

“This isn’t over yet,” Hadi told him, stuffing a small black leaf into his mouth and tucking it between his lip and gum. “We’ll talk to Mitta and get that sword for you. It should rightfully be yours.”

“You know Mitta,” Temin frowned. “She’ll take Nakunam’s side. She always sides with him.”

“We’ll get you that sword – one way or another,” Hadi said, his glower darkening. “I promise.”

Temin cast a sidelong glance as his closest friend, a shiver racing through him with the sudden dark brooding that washed over him. There was something about the way he said it, the ominous tone of his voice that left Temin suddenly feeling on edge.

Just then Pasha approached out of the inky shadows that surrounded them, her petite form finally becoming visible in the soft glow of torch light. Temin and Hadi immediately pointed their spears at their unexpected visitor, but lowered them just as quickly when they realized who it was.

“Pasha,” Temin spat out her name with great agitation. “You shouldn’t be here. We almost speared you.”

“I just came to see if I could get a peek at the outsiders,” Pasha shrugged, her long black hair falling over her shoulder with the movement. 

“Hi, Pasha,” Hadi quickly greeted the beautiful girl. He quickly straightened his shoulders and thrust his muscular chest out. “I’ll let you see the outsiders.”

“Hadi!” Temin hissed. “You know it’s against Aku laws for her to even be here.”

“It’s your sister Temin,” Hadi rolled his eyes. “And it’s just a peek. It’s not like we’d let her near them or actually talk to them.”

“I heard it’s the Confessor herself,” Pasha giddily replied, her face lighting up with the notion of being able to see a real living Confessor. She’d heard stories growing up about how dangerous these women were and now to have one right here in their village was beyond imagining.

“Come on, Temin,” Hadi elbowed his friend in the ribs, his attention still locked on Pasha, his hungry eyes drinking in her every curve.

“Alright, but just a quick peek,” Temin relented. “Don’t even get any ideas about talking to them. Tolla will have our heads if he finds out about this.”

“Oh, he won’t find out,” Hadi spat out. “He’s clear on the other side of the village looking for Odo. And you know how long it will take the old healer to gather his herbal remedies together before coming here.”

Temin drew a deep breath as he quickly looked around to make sure no one else was there. Turning, he opened the door to the Spirit House a crack, allowing his sister to look in. Pasha quietly inched closer, her heart racing with anticipation as she placed a nervous hand on the wooden door frame.

Biting her lip, she silently poked her head in, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. She was stunned to find a handsome man sitting on the other side of the holy fire with a beautiful woman lying on the ground beside him, her head cradled in his lap. He was speaking softly to her, running his fingers through her hair. 

Silently watching them, she was immediately struck with how sad the man looked, the fear in his eyes and the tenderness in his touch as he held her. She could tell that he loved this woman very much.

Pasha quickly decided he must be confessed, her mate. No one would ever dare to fall in love with a Confessor. It was unbelievable, unimaginable.

Turning her attention to the woman lying on the ground, she was not surprised to see how beautiful she was. She had heard how beautiful and dangerous Confessors were, their touch powerful enough to steal the soul as well as the will and mind of any man.

Looking at her now, though, she didn’t appear very dangerous or a threat to anyone. In fact, she looked very ill, fragile. She needed the healer soon.

“Alright, enough,” Temin whispered low in her ear, pulling his sister back and silently closing the door.

“They didn’t even see me,” she reassured him.

“Are you satisfied?” Temin asked, turning back to his previous position between the village and the door to the Spirit House.

“She needs a healer right away,” she told them. “She doesn’t look very good.”

“She needs to have a spear through her heart,” Hadi interjected.

“Hadi!” Pasha scowled at him.

“The only good Confessor is a dead Confessor,” Hadi said.

“Hadi, stop it!” Pasha snapped, folding her arms against her chest. “She needs our help.”

“She needs to be dead before she confesses us all,” Hadi continued. “What if we heal her and then she decides to take your brother as her mate? What then?”

“She won’t,” Pasha insisted, her hands finding her hips.

“How do you know that?”

“Because that man in there is already her mate,” Pasha said pointing towards the Spirit House.

“How do you know?” Temin asked, his brow furrowing in thought.

“Because you can see how much he loves her. It’s written on his face…in his eyes,” Pasha sighed. “Besides, no man would be that attentive or caring to a Confessor unless he was already confessed. I’m telling you, he is her mate.”

“Maybe, but still that doesn’t mean that she won’t confess us all the first chance she gets,” Hadi countered.

“I wonder what their names are,” she softly said out loud, more to herself than the two men standing before her.

“It doesn’t matter,” Hadi bit out. “They’ll be dead soon.”

“I like them,” she readily decided. “They seem like a very nice couple. It’s so romantic how he’s taking care of his sick mate like this.”

“Romantic?” Temin stared at his sister in disbelief. “They are dangerous outsiders who could wipe out the entire village and you like them because they’re in love?”

Pasha shrugged a shoulder again, dismissing her brother’s words. “I think we should help them. I’m going to go see if Nakunam has found Odo yet.”

With that, Pasha turned on her heel and disappeared into the darkness again. Hadi released a soft low whistle as he watched the girl walk away. “She’s so beautiful,” he murmured.

Temin suddenly shot a heated glare at his friend. “What did you say?”

“She is,” Hadi said, turning his attention to Temin. “I’m hoping you will let me become her mate some day.”

“Hadi,” Temin shook his head. “Just because you’re my friend doesn’t mean that I’m going to allow you take my sister as your mate.”

“Come on,” Hadi pushed. “Both your parents are resting with the spirits now. You are her charge. It will be up to you to decide who she will be mated with. I want you to pick me.”

“Hadi, you’re five years older than her,” Temin reminded him. “I want her to marry someone closer to her own age.”

“Please…just consider…”

A sudden cry came from within the Spirit House, interrupting them. They both turned to look behind him, Temin reaching for the door. Entering, they found the man crouched down in front of the Confessor, holding her by the shoulders.

The woman was kneeling on the ground, clutching her head in her hands. She was gritting her teeth against the obvious pain that had besieged her, a strangled cry filling the air as she rocked back and forth. The man suddenly looked up at them, the anger and fear in his eyes causing them both to take an involuntary step back.

“She needs the healer now!” Richard growled at them.

The Seeker’s voice rolled like thunder as they stared at them, not moving. Richard abruptly leapt to his feet, storming towards them with deadly intent burning in his eyes like twin pillars. Hadi immediately raised his spear to him, ready to kill him.

In less than a heartbeat, Richard was suddenly there looming so large before them, disarming the warrior before he knew what had happened. He swiftly pinned Hadi against the wall of the Spirit House, the shaft of the man’s spear pressed firmly against his throat.

Richard’s chest was heaving with the rage that was thundering through him at that moment, the fear that nearly paralyzed him. “Ger her a healer…NOW!” he seethed.

The Seeker glared at him a moment longer before finally releasing Hadi. He broke the spear across his knee before flinging it aside. He cast them one last glance before turning and heading back to Kahlan. The warriors quickly exited suddenly afraid of the man who had so easily disarmed Hadi without even his sword to help him.

Richard knelt down before Kahlan, his hands finding her face and forcing her to look at him. “Please, hang on, Kahlan…for me,” he softly said, his thumbs caressing her cheeks wet with tears.

“Kill me…” she begged, her bottom lip trembling. “Make it stop…please, Richard. I can’t take it.”

“No, Kahlan!” he angrily gasped, stunned by her plea. “You are the strongest, most amazing woman I have ever met, surviving so much more than anyone I know. We will get through this together. I’m not leaving you, Kahlan.”

“Please…kill me, Richard,” she sobbed. “I can’t take the pain anymore…and my magic…I can feel it building inside of me. You’ll be confessed if you stay here.”

“I am not leaving you, Kahlan,” Richard growled, his heart pounding.

He crushed his lips against hers, kissing her and sealing his promise to her. She responded to his kiss, relishing the feel of his lips so warm and urgent against hers. He used his lips to tenderly wipe away her tears, desperate to take away her pain, to draw it all into himself and save her. Something dreadful was happening to her, threatening to steal her away from him again and he was completely powerless to stop it.

“I love you, Kahlan,” he murmured, gazing into her eyes still brimming with tears. “I…I love you more than life itself. I’m sorry…”

Just then the door flew open, interrupting the tender moment and the words that Richard was desperate to say to her, to make things right between them again. Nakunam and Odo entered, swiftly making their way to them.

Richard brushed his lips against her forehead, choking back his own tears. “They’re here,” he sighed against her face.

He moved to kneel beside her, keeping an arm wrapped securely around her shoulders as the healer knelt down in front of her. “I am Odo,” he told her. “I’m going to do everything I can to help you.”

Kahlan could only nod her head as she fought to keep a tight grip on her magic, fearing that she would release it and confess everyone in the village if the pain didn’t stop soon. She quickly brushed the remnants of her tears from her face, doing her best to rein them in.

Odo momentarily closed his eyes, his hands gently waving over her as he hummed softly to himself. Kahlan studied him as he worked, taking in the deep lines around his eyes and mouth, his face showing his advanced years. There was a soothing comfort about him that brought her a small measure of peace, giving her hope that he could help her.

She leaned even more against Richard, absorbing his strength and savoring the feel of him so near, his arm keeping her close to him and reassuring her with his presence. Spirits, she loved this man more than life, almost more than her heart could hold. She felt more tears rising in her throat, knowing how deeply she had hurt him the last couple of days, hating herself for being the one to cause him pain.

Richard attempted to temper his still simmering anger as the healer worked, but it was difficult knowing that Kahlan was in danger. Kahlan’s headaches were getting worse and they had no idea why.

Odo suddenly sat back on his heels, a puzzled expression on his face as he studied her. “When did these headaches start?” the healer finally asked.

“When I woke yesterday morning,” Kahlan replied. “They started getting worse last night.”

Richard watched as Odo slowly nodded his head, stroking his chin as he considered her words. “Kahlan…died…the day before that and was brought back from the Underworld using a powerful spell,” he informed him.

“I see,” he murmured.

“And she also has this,” Richard said, releasing his hold on her to pull her sleeve up. “Could this be causing the headaches?”

Odo sat forward again, his gaze immediately narrowing as he examined the strange mark on Kahlan’s forearm. He lightly ran a fingertip over the red raised skin he found there, his expression shifting from concern to one of great sorrow.

“This…this is not good,” Odo slowly shook his head in dismay as he released her arm.

“What is it?” Richard asked, his arm snaking around Kahlan’s waist and keeping her close against him.

“Her spirit is very, very sick I’m afraid,” he said.

“What’s causing it?” the Seeker asked.

“I am not sure, but this is very serious,” Odo grimly replied. “I can give you something that will help with the headaches. Maybe if we can lessen your pain, your body will be able to fight whatever is causing it.”

Richard swallowed hard, the healer’s words doing nothing to diminish his fears any. They still had no idea what was causing Kahlan’s headaches. He couldn’t help feeling as though this was just the beginning of something so much bigger, something more than they could possible begin to imagine.

“Here, chew a couple of these seeds when the headache gets bad,” Odo instructed her, taking her hand in his and pouring a handful of yellow seeds from a pouch into her palm. “This should help with the pain.”

“Thank you,” Kahlan softly said, taking two and popping them into her mouth.

She winced at the bitter taste that seeped from the seeds, doing her best to swallow it down inside of throwing it up. She could feel Richard’s hand on her back, gently rubbing it. While thankful that he was here with her, she knew how dangerous it was for him to be near her right now. When the pain got severe, it took everything she had within her not to release her magic, to lose control.

“It doesn’t taste very good, but you should feel better soon,” Odo said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I will come back and check on you in the morning.”

“Thank you for helping her,” Richard said. 

Odo nodded and smiled as he stood to his feet, Nakunam coming to stand beside the healer. “We will have water and food brought to you, but you will need to face the Council of Elders tomorrow,” the Tolla informed them.

“We mean you no harm in being here,” Richard replied, standing to his feet as well. “I am the Seeker and we are in search of the Stone of Tears in order to seal the rifts and stop the Keeper from escaping the Underworld.”

Tolla Nakunam considered his words for a moment before responding. “I understand, but you will have to tell your story to Mitta and the Council. They will be the ones to decide whether you will live or die.”

“I understand,” Richard nodded his head. “Thank you for helping the Mother Confessor.”

The Tolla dipped his head in acknowledgement before turning and leaving with Odo, Hadi, and Temin in tow. Richard raked his fingers back through his hair, releasing a ragged sigh before turning his attention back to Kahlan.

The color was beginning to return to her face once more, her blue eyes already appearing somewhat brighter. He knelt down in front of her, hooking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Are you feeling any better?”

Kahlan smiled softly, not his special smile but it wasn’t as forced or as artificial as it had been before. “I think so,” she murmured.

“Do they really taste bad?”

“You want to try them?” she asked, holding out her handful of seeds to him.

“No,” he frowned. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“At this point, I’ll do whatever the healer says if it’ll help these headaches,” she grimaced, momentarily closing her eyes.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you, Kahlan,” he softly told her.

“It isn’t your fault, Richard,” she insisted as she began to remove her jacket.

The door suddenly opened then, a couple of women entering with blankets, water, and a tray of food. They quickly set it down before exiting just as swiftly.

Getting up, Richard retrieved the items that had been delivered to them, bringing them over to where his Confessor was sitting on the ground. He carefully laid out the blankets for them before handing her a cup of water.

“Here, you need to eat something too,” he urged her.

“I don’t know if my stomach can handle it right now,” she winced.

Richard scooted closer to her, taking a grape and holding it up to her lips. “Try…for me?”

His heart skipped a beat when his special smile made an appearance on her face. She thought for a long moment before finally relenting and parting her lips for him. Steeling himself against his longing for her, he held the fruit against her bottom lip before slowly pushing it into her mouth.

Kahlan sighed contentedly; her eyes momentarily falling closed as she relished the sweet fruit that swiftly began to banish the wretched taste the seeds had left behind. Opening her eyes again, she found Richard staring at her, another piece of fruit already in his hand. The heat in his gaze quickly warmed her clear to her toes.

She slowly parted her lips, allowing him to feed her again. He leaned forward, lightly brushing the fruit against her bottom lip before pushing it into her mouth. Kahlan quickly wrapped her lips around his fingers this time, sucking softly and earning a throaty groan from her Seeker.

She felt her heart begin to beat harder, his eyes falling closed as she sucked on his finger, her tongue softly caressing the tip. Richard’s lips parted as his breathing grew more ragged. His arousal was beginning to pump through his system, begging for more.

He reluctantly pulled his finger free, his lips finding hers and kissing her softly. She parted her lips, welcoming him to come taste her more deeply. He quickly complied, his tongue stroking hers and tasting the sweetness of the fruit that he had just fed her.

He pulled back then, pressing his forehead against hers. He raked his teeth over his bottom lip as he attempted to tamp down on his need for her, knowing that he couldn’t push her anymore. “You should get some sleep,” he softly told her, his fingers lightly caressing her face.

His warm breath mingled with hers and it was all she could do not to kiss him again, unleashing what beat inside of her for him. “Will you hold me?” she asked.

“Always,” he whispered, pulling her to lay down with him, holding her close as she quickly drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 11

Cara paced back and forth in simmering frustration, anxious for the sun to finally make its appearance. She was more than ready to be on their way around this damn rift so they could finally catch up with Richard and Kahlan. She didn’t like being separated like this no matter how badly the Seeker and Mother Confessor needed time alone right now to work things out.

She wasn’t doing her job, upholding her sworn oath to protect her Lord Rahl with her life if she wasn’t even with him. They were practically incapable of staying out of trouble alone.

She spun her agiel on its thin gold chain, a scowl fixed on her lips as she paused to watch Zedd sleeping. His snoring could shake the very foundation of the earth and yet he never seemed to wake himself up. What was even creepier was how he slept with his eyes open. It never ceased to unnerve her. It was just so unnatural.

She didn’t even know how he could sleep so well right now at a time like this. Richard and Kahlan were broken quite possibly beyond repair, Demos was plotting only spirits knew what and they still had a Stone to find in order to stop the Keeper.

Life couldn’t possibly get any more complicated than it was right now. Things were rapidly escalating all around them especially with rifts popping up more frequently every day. It felt as though they were in a hopeless situation with no chance of escape.

Cara began to continue her pacing again only to be brought to an abrupt stop by a sudden sound. She froze, her emerald eyes carefully searching the surrounding shadows that refused to give up its secrets. She slowly allowed the agiel she had been swinging by the chain to slide neatly into her hand, gripping it tightly. Burning pain fired up her arm, but she easily subdued it with her mind.

“Zedd,” she whispered, her body tensing with the perceived threat she felt bearing down on them. They couldn’t afford to be captured by the Aku, not when they needed to find Richard and Kahlan.

The Wizard snorted in his sleep, causing her to frown in annoyance. “Zedd,” she hissed a little louder while still trying to keep her voice low.

Zedd mumbled and grunted through another drawn-out snore, his eyes still open giving the illusion that he was completely awake and aware of the sudden danger. Cara drew a deep breath in a desperate effort to control her mounting anger with the Wizard. If she had a rock in her hand, she would’ve hurled it at him.

An arrow suddenly soared through the early morning air, landing right beside the sleeping wizard. “Zedd!” she yelled.

The Wizard sat bolt upright, his disheveled white hair sticking out at odd angles. “What?” he snorted in annoyance. “What’s going on?”

“We’re under attack,” she growled, scanning the trees behind her as she flipped her other agiel up into her hand.

Looking down at the arrow sticking out of the ground right beside where he was laying, the Wizard was up and on his feet with surprising agility, his hands outstretched and more than ready for battle.

“Bags!” he swore under his breath as another arrow came through the trees, striking Cara in the shoulder and causing her to fall to her knees.

“Cara!” Zedd yelled, coming to her aid.

“Get down!” she shouted at him as more arrows began to rain down on them.

Dropping her agiel, the Mord’Sith gritted her teeth as she yanked the arrow free from her shoulder. Ignoring the blood oozing from the fresh wound, she picked up her agiel again before crouching low to the ground.

They needed to escape now before they couldn’t. “We need to get out of here,” Cara snapped.

Keeping low to the ground beside the Mord’Sith, Zedd stretched out his hands, creating an invisible shield before them. Arrows flying through the air abruptly fell well short of its intended target, suddenly dropping from the sky as they came in contact with Zedd’s shield.

It didn’t take long before half a dozen men came rushing from the trees, hatchets and swords in hand. Dressed in tattered clothes, their faces and arms were streaked with dirt, their eyes wild. They looked like nothing more than simple farmers, displaced to the woods in order to survive.

Zedd immediately dropped his shield, knowing the only way to deal with the attack was head on. Once the shield was down, Cara didn’t hesitate for a moment, racing head on to meet the banelings who had started the attack, more than prepared to finish it as quickly as possible.

Raising her agiels, she slammed them into the chest of the first man, his hatchet falling uselessly to the ground as he fell to his knees in pain. Fire shot past over head as Zedd began disposing of the others. She could hear his bones cracking beneath her agiels over the sound of the man’s screams.

Releasing them, she stepped back as the man fell dead. She panted hard as she stood over him, her teeth clenched in anger. They didn’t have time for this right now. Turning, she ducked just in time as a sword came slicing for her head, coming up with her agiels and connecting with his skull.

The man gritted his teeth against the pain, his body shaking violently with the force of the mind-numbing assault. His mouth fell open, his sword slipping from his hand as he released an earsplitting scream.

Cara followed him to the ground, refusing to release her agiels. Blood began to trickle from his nose as his eyes finally rolled back into his head. Her anger refused to diminish even though she knew the man was dead. 

She feared for her friends, worried about what was happening to them. She hated seeing them like this – talking but not really speaking to each other; each hurting deeply, separately, too stubborn or too afraid to get past their private pain to reach out to the other; under constant attack from the unseen evils of the world as well as those who are the full flesh-and-blood embodiment of it.

And she was useless to help them with any of it.

“Cara,” Zedd calmly called from behind her, careful not to touch her while gripping the agiel. “That’s enough, dear one. He’s dead.”

Breathing heavily, Cara released her agiels, finally really seeing what was left of the man she had just finished off. His head was deformed; his skull cracked and caved in on the sides, blood trailing from his nose, ears, and mouth. It was a hideous site to behold, his eyes bulging and frozen wide in horror, his mouth now fixed in a silent scream that would never be heard again.

She quickly turned her back to him, attempting to pull herself together as Zedd burned the baneling to keep him from returning just to attack them again. She returned her agiels to her hips, running her fingers back through her air as she drew a deep breath.

Tears pricked her eyes, but she swiftly swallowed them back, refusing to allow them to fall. She crossed her arms firmly against her chest, closing her eyes against the horrifying image of what she had just done. She had never wanted to return to that person that she had been before she had met Lord Rahl and she just had.

A gentle hand on her shoulder caused her to jump despite herself. “It’s alright, Cara,” he told her.

“No…no, it’s not,” she softly replied, refusing to face him, to look into that grandfatherly face that she knew would be filled with nothing but compassion and understanding.

“Cara, we all allow our emotions to get the best of us sometimes,” he said. “I’m afraid it’s a part of being human.”

She slowly nodded her head in response as she walked away from him. “We need to get moving,” she murmured, kneeling down to gather her things.

“Let me heal your shoulder.”

“Later,” she insisted. “We need to get out of here.”

Zedd watched her for a moment as she stuffed her bedroll into her pack, her shoulders slumped in defeat. He felt sorry for the Mord’Sith that had become so much more to them than the red leather she wore and the agiel that she wielded. 

In her effort to become more human, to find herself buried deep within that was struggling to break free, she had tapped into emotions that had long been forgotten. She found friends that she cared about, maybe even loved on some level.

He could hardly blame her for losing control, for unleashing upon that man the pent up frustrations and worries that had been teeming inside of her. He felt them too, shared her concerns and fears. It was only because of his years of training as a wizard that he had been able to curtail those emotions, keeping them from being poured into their unwitting attackers.

Following the Mord’Sith into the woods, he sighed deeply to himself, hating to see her so upset with herself. The path to gaining humanity was a very bumpy one, filled with many obstacles and setbacks that only added to the difficult process. 

Today had been one of those days already, but he was certain more now than ever that it would only help, making her even stronger and more human in the end.

XXX

Richard began to stir at the feel of fingers softly stroking his cheek. He tightened his hold on the woman in his arms, thankful that she was at the very least allowing him this. He savored the feel of her perfect form pressed along the full length of his body, her heavenly scent dancing in the air and tickling his senses even further. He longed to wake to this, to her every morning.

As much as he wanted to open his eyes to gaze into the impossibly blue orbs that would be staring back at him, he wanted to relish this moment, never wanting it to end. He didn’t want to open his eyes to the reality of what was happening around them, between them, threatening to destroy the love they had been fighting so hard for.

He sighed contentedly as she slowly ran her fingertips along his jaw before trailing lightly along his neck to his chest, disappearing inside of his shirt as had become her new form of exploration. It drove him positively wild, her fingers sneaking under the fabric to touch him, excite him like only she ever could.

Gooseflesh formed on his arms, causing a shiver to race up his spine as she lightly raked her fingernails over his nipple, softly circling it with the tip of her finger only to tease it again. He tilted his head back, arching his back ever so subtly as she continued to tease him.

Kahlan could tell by the sudden change in his breathing that he was awake, the way his body tensed beneath her touch. She smiled despite herself, feeling the way his heart began to pound beneath her fingers and knowing that it was all because of her. 

Knowing, seeing the way that he hardened and yet melted, flushed and yet shivered, breathed heavily and yet gasped for the air denied him never ceased to amaze or arouse her. The fact that she, a Confessor…no, the powerful Mother Confessor…could be the cause of such intense emotions and reaction in an unconfessed man still astounded her.

She had never thought of herself as a sexual being – needing, wanting, craving. She had always been a Confessor first and foremost, a woman second. Her needs, her wants had all been minimized in the face of the stark reality of what was happening to the world around her. The needs of others, the future of her people had always been first in her heart, pushing herself into the background.

That was until she had met Richard Cypher.

Her Seeker had awakened something so intense, so raw and passionate inside of her, something that she had no idea even existed deep within her. It left her in awe, both a little excited and at the same time scared. She shouldn’t be feeling these things, experiencing such intense desire, such heated lust for a man who was not confessed or her mate.

She had tried for so long to bury these feelings, this powerful need that burned so hotly within her that refused to be ignored, but it was growing harder, more desperate. Every day that passed by brought her that much closer to giving into her need for her Seeker, unleashing her deadly magic on the one man that she loved more than life, but could never have and it terrified her.

“I wish you’d trust me, Kahlan.”

His soft voice held no anger, no judgment in it. Only love, longing, and the briefest hint of the hurt that pervaded his heart. She quickly pulled her hand free from his shirt, ashamed for her actions when she knew she could never finish what she was starting. He quickly caught her wrist, interlocking their fingers and holding her hand tightly against his chest.

Kahlan pressed her face into the crook of his neck, brushing an apologetic kiss against his warm skin. “I do,” she murmured.

Richard sighed with her words, not knowing where to go with this, wanting so desperately for her talk to him and yet afraid of pushing her again. “Talk to me, Kahlan,” he softly begged her, bringing their joined hands to his lips and kissing her knuckles. “Please…”

It had been another rough night of nightmares and a headache that refused to fully leave. It was beginning to terrify him, fearing what was truly happening to his beloved Confessor. He hoped that if she opened herself up to him, told him the things that haunted her dreams and besieged her heart that she might finally be able to sleep, finally be his Kahlan again.

The silence lingered for what felt like an eternity to Richard as he waited patiently when he felt anything but impatient at that moment. He silently pleaded with her as he waited with bated breath, hoping against hope that they could finally, truly work things out between them, resolving this crushing tension that pressed in on them.

“I…I can’t…Richard,” was her soft, broken response as she tried to sit up.

Richard tightened his hold on her, keeping her lying flush against him despite her refusal to talk to him, the painful sting in his heart that nearly brought tears to his eyes. “It’s alright,” he whispered as he finally found his voice, tilting down and kissing the top of her head. “I understand.”

But he didn’t understand, didn’t want to try to understand. He wanted her talk to him, to let him in and be her everything. He wanted to sit up and grab hold of her, shake her until she opened up to him. Frustration and anger filled his soul, seeping into every fiber of his being.

He loved this woman with his whole heart, would give everything for her including his very life. He knew that he couldn’t force her to totally trust him with her heart, push her into letting him in no matter how much it hurt him.

Kahlan bit her bottom lip, fighting back the tears that welled from within. She wanted more than anything to let him in to heal her hurts, but she couldn’t. It would only cause him more pain than he’d already had to endure. She couldn’t do that to him.

“I’m sorry, Richard,” she whispered, slowly pressing her lips against his neck again and lingering there.

“It’s alright,” he forced himself to say, blinking back the tears that sought release.

“No…it’s not,” she murmured as she suddenly moved to straddle him.

Kahlan leaned over him, grasping his face with her hands and softly brushing her lips against his. Her gentle pleas for forgiveness whispered against his mouth were barely heard over the sudden pounding of his heart in his ears. The feel of her lips so soft and sweet against his, the feel of her body hovering above his was combining to drive him mad with need.

He lay very still beneath her, fearful that if he moved she would disappear, shifting off of him and abruptly ending the amazing sensations beginning to make him dizzy with want for her. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulder, tickling against his face as her kisses became a more urgent, more desperate.

“I’m so sorry, Richard,” she whispered against his lips between kisses that were growing more passionate and less apologetic by the moment.

Unable to bear not touching her a moment longer, Richard’s hands quickly found her hips, his fingers digging into her and holding her down as he raised his hips to ground against her. Her head fell back with a sudden sharp gasp, her breathing growing ragged as he repeated his actions once more, her heated response thrilling his very soul.

He knew deep down that Kahlan loved him, wanted to be with him as desperately as he wanted to be with her, but fear was holding her hostage, keeping her from sharing her heart as well as her body with him. He swore to himself as he began to lose himself in her passionate kisses that he would fight for her with every breath he drew, banishing her every fear as effectively as he banished the enemy with his sword.

He would not fail her in this, would be her salvation no matter the cost to himself because she was his Kahlan, his love, his beloved soul-mate. He knew beyond any doubts, without question that she was his future, she was his life, she was where he would always belong.

Without a second thought, Richard quickly wrapped his arms around her, rolling her onto her back and pinning her to the ground with his body. They shared a momentary heated breath before his lips collided with hers, his hands slipping into her thick hair. 

Kahlan raised her hips in response, rolling her pelvis against his and earning a throaty growl that only served to heat her blood even more. She clawed at his back through the material covering it, wanting to be nothing but hot skin against hot skin.

Releasing her lips, he gasped for air before continuing his tortuous assault down the creamy column of her throat, savoring the feel of her beneath him, the taste of her skin. His hands began to skim down her sides, caressing her through the material.

Her legs shifted around him, allowing him to settle between her long limbs. This was where he always wanted to be. This was home. He had never been more sure of anything in his entire life than he was of this.

Kissing along the tops of her breasts, Richard felt Kahlan grow rigid, her hands suddenly letting go of his body. A sharp cry left her lips as she grabbed her head and arched her back, squeezing her eyes closed against the sharp assault.

“Kahlan?” he panted, quickly moving off of her and grabbing more seeds.

“I’m so sorry…Richard…” she breathed through the pain, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he insisted as he fought to tamp down on the arousal pounding through his body. He reached out to brush her hair from her face that had grown so pale, his heart hammering from fear instead of passion now. 

“We…we just can’t…” she cried as he helped her sit up, pulling her against him as he held her.

“I shouldn’t have pushed you like that,” he softly said as he handed her a seed. “I’m going to give you as much time as you need to work through everything by yourself, Kahlan. Just know that I’m here for you if you want to talk to me. I’ll always be here.”

Taking the seed from his hand, she slowly nodded her head, unable to talk at that moment. She wanted more than anything to give him everything that she was, to share her hurts, her anger and fears…herself, but she just couldn’t.

He was her world and she couldn’t risk losing him.

Just then, the door to the Spirit House suddenly opened, Tolla Nakunam entering with Temin and Hadi close on his heels. “I’m sorry, but it is time to meet with Mitta and the Council of Elders,” he grimly informed them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 12

“Take me,” Richard quickly stated as he stood to his feet. “Kahlan is not well enough to go. Please, let her stay here so she can rest.” 

Tolla Nakunam slowly began to shake his head in agreement when Kahlan suddenly grabbed hold of Richard’s hand and pulled herself up to her feet. “No, I’m going with you,” she insisted, hooking her hair behind her ear.

“Kahlan…” the Seeker began to argue, noticing the pain that still reflected in her blue eyes. She could barely stand on her own two feet at that moment.

“It’s alright,” she smiled weakly. “The Seeker cannot go without his Confessor, remember?”

Richard smiled softly in return, thrilled to be seeing a glimpse of his old Kahlan still there despite all that she was going through. Releasing her hand, he snaked his arm around her waist to help support her as they followed the men, lending her the strength that he knew she still didn’t have.

Stepping outside, they found the sun already casting a warm morning glow over the village, revealing more details about the place that they were being held captive in. Rows of thatched huts sat close to one another, revealing the simplicity of the Aku’s lives. 

Behind that was tall grass and trees that seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see, mountains seeming to rise up out of nowhere to cradle and protect the village. Women were already bustling about, busy with their morning chores as children played in the dirt. Men sat together eating at the far end of the clearing in the center of the village, their dark eyes locked on the strangers.

Kahlan watched as people lined up to see the outsiders, fear mingled with curiosity filling their eyes as they stared at them. Children paused in their play to stare as well, some backing away out of fear. She felt a sense of sadness as a little girl near her suddenly ran away from her, crying hysterically for her mother.

People had avoided her all of her life, keeping their distance around her when all she had ever wanted was a friend, silently backing away any time she got too close. She slipped her arm around her Seeker’s waist, leaning even more into him as loneliness drifted over her. If it weren’t for Richard, she never would’ve known friendship or love.

Sensing her sadness, Richard tightened his grip on her waist. He knew how lonely her life had been, how isolated and difficult. She was the kindest, most compassionate person he had ever known. There would never be a better friend than Kahlan and yet she had been summarily dismissed by all those who came in contact with her out of fear for her magic or because of her title.

It angered him deeply that she was treated so cruelly at times. He swore to himself that he was going to spend the rest of his life making it up to her, showing her a life filled with nothing but happiness and love.

As much as he didn’t want to hurt these people, he knew that they couldn’t afford to waste any more time here. Kahlan was rapidly deteriorating and he still had no idea why. They had to get to Zedd and Cara soon so his grandfather could heal her. 

He couldn’t take seeing her like this any longer, watching her steadily worsen as time went on. He was helpless to ease her pain or the troubles that weighed her heart down. It was beyond agonizing to love someone so deeply and to be forced to watch them suffer. He was so desperate to take all of her pain away, to take it into his own body in order to save her.

“Hang on, Kahlan,” he whispered to her. “We’ll get out of here and then find Zedd. He’ll be able to help you.”

“Don’t worry…it’ll be alright,” she softly said. “The headache is already beginning to get better.”

“Kahlan, I will never stop worrying about you until I draw my last breath,” he murmured, his narrowed gaze carefully studying their surroundings, trying to search for a way to escape with the least amount of trouble if this meeting didn’t go in their favor.

Richard’s gaze fell to his sword hanging at the Tolla’s hip, wishing he could get his hands on it just in case. He hoped that they would be able to talk their way out of this, but he would not hesitate to do whatever it took to protect Kahlan and get out of here. 

As much he appalled the idea of hurting these people, their continued existence as a tribe as well the entire world’s survival rested solely on his shoulders right now. He would do what he had to do to stop the Keeper, keeping him in the Underworld where he rightfully belonged.

And in order to do that, he had to keep Kahlan alive, not just because he loved her with his whole heart, but also because her death would seal the Keeper’s victory.

Richard internally shuddered with the horrifying thought of losing her again. It was a reality that he would never accept, one that he feared more than anything in this world.

Walking towards the outskirts of the village, the trees grew bigger, the brush thicker as they came to a stop outside of a large hut nestled in the protective shadows of the foliage that surrounded it. Smoke curled from a hole in the thatched roof, a colorful piece of material covering the entrance.

“I am hopeful that the Council of Elders will find favorably for you,” Tolla Nakunam softly said as they came to a stop. “I know that your mission is vital and that your destiny stretches far beyond the boundaries of our simple village, but I’m afraid I have little voice beyond our warriors.”

“Thank you, Tolla,” Richard nodded. “All we can do is tell the truth and hope the Elders will see our side.”

“May the Spirit of our Elders bless you, Seeker and Confessor,” Tolla bowed his head.

Hadi and Temin both scowled at each other, not the least bit sympathetic with the matter. They felt they should have been killed long ago, not even granted this meeting with Mitta and the Elders. They still believed in the old ways back when their tribe was fierce and known for their savage ways, their lack of compassion.

Now, Mitta and Tolla Nakunam were trying to weaken the Aku with their decision to be more fair in their judgment, allowing their decisions to be made through the Council of Elders instead of immediate resolution with a spear or blade.

Tolla pushed aside the material that covered the doorway, stepping aside to allow the Seeker and Mother Confessor entrance. He stood tall as they entered, his chest jutting out as he gripped his spear, entering after the outsiders entered. Temin and Hadi turned to stand guard outside of the hut, anxious to eliminate the intruders the first chance given by the Council.

Entering, Richard and Kahlan both paused momentarily, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the dim light that filled the enormous room. Tolla came up behind them, guiding them to a single empty bench that faced five crude benches all filled with Aku elders no doubt.

Richard led Kahlan to the bench, easing her down before settling down beside her. He could feel Tolla standing close behind them, his presence somewhat of a comfort knowing that he was on their side though he really didn’t have a say. It was also comforting knowing that he could turn around and snatch his sword if it came down to it.

Kahlan held her head high with all the authority of the title that she possessed, pushing aside the pain that still throbbed in her head. The seeds helped take the edge off, but never completely rid her of the pain.

A soft voice seemed to suddenly rise in her mind, whispering to her to just let go, to give in to the pain and allow it to consume and fully flow through her. She didn’t know where the words were coming from, but it unnerved her as she fought to keep her mind focused on what she needed to do now. She had been trained for situations just like this ever since arriving at the Confessor’s Palace in Aydindril.

Casting a sidelong glance, Richard noticed Kahlan’s brow suddenly crease, temporarily displacing the emotionless face of the Confessor. He could tell that her head still hurt, but he was actually relieved she was here with him. She was more experienced at dealing with different regions and tribes, skillful in negotiations such as this.

“Mitta, this is the Seeker of Truth and the Mother Confessor,” Tolla Nakunam suddenly announced. “They were captured passing through our valley last night.”

Richard turned his attention to a small elderly woman sitting on the middle bench before them. She had thin graying hair that hung limply at her shoulders, her face creased with more wrinkles than could possibly be counted. Her lips were pursed tightly; her dark eyes sharply attentive much to his surprise for someone of her advanced age.

Two men sat on each of the benches on either side her, all four of them looking even older than Mitta if that was even possible. Their feeble appearances caused the Seeker to relax a little, relieved to know that they would likely not be putting up much of a fight if they had to battle their way out of here.

Between them and the Council of Elders was a small fire, its crackling flames filling the unsettling silence that permeated the hut. It was hot inside, no windows to allow air to filter in. The room was entirely bare, nothing decorating the walls or indicating what exactly would take place here.

Mitta nodded her head in acknowledgement of the Tolla’s introduction. “Why do you trespass through our valley?” she pointedly asked, her voice deeper than Richard had expected.

“I am searching for the Stone of Tears,” Richard replied, sitting up straighter. “The compass I carry directed me here in search of it. I need the Stone to seal the rifts that erupted all over the territories and to stop the Keeper from escaping the Underworld.”

“And why should we believe you?” one ancient looking man from Mitta’s right suddenly questioned him.

Richard could feel Kahlan tensing beside him. He wasn’t sure if it was from the headache or for some other reason. “I have no reason to lie to you,” he firmly said. “Tolla Nakunam has the Sword of Truth that I carry and this is the Mother Confessor who accompanies me in my quest.”

Kahlan watched as all eyes turned towards hers, their expressions remaining impassive as they stared at her. “We speak the truth,” Kahlan stated, her voice bearing her authority and revealing none of the pain she was in. “We mean you no harm. The Seeker and I only request passage through your valley. It is important for us to finish our quest.”

She rubbed her temples despite her best efforts, her heart beginning to pound a little harder. She could feel her anger welling up inside of her, her frustrations seeking release. They didn’t have time for this right now.

“Why should we grant you passage? We do not recognize your authority as the Mother Confessor here,” another man hissed like a snake, his gnarled fingers tightly gripping his cane. “You may be of great importance in the Midlands, but here you are no one special.” 

_“Kahlan…let go…”_

Kahlan swiftly turned her head to look around her, searching for who had just called her name. Meeting Richard’s confused gaze, she quickly straightened her shoulders, turning her attention back to the Council watching her.

“I realize that, but you must see the necessity of our quest,” she snapped, her words coming out harsher than she had intended. “You may not recognize my authority as the Mother Confessor, but you will if I have to confess every last one of you. I will make this entire tribe my slaves.”

She felt Richard suddenly stiffen beside her, not quite sure of where she was doing. “The Mother Confessor means to say that we could have very easily put up a fight when your warriors first found us, but we didn’t,” the Seeker quickly amended, his pulse beginning to race with Kahlan’s unexpected change in attitude. “We do not wish to bring harm to anyone. We only want to find the Stone and stop the Keeper from escaping the Underworld and ruling the world of the living.”

Casting another glance at his Confessor, Richard was still stunned by her angry words. He knew that she was dealing with a lot right now, but it was not like her to respond like this even in tense moments where great tact was required. She was always the cool head of logic, the one who remained calm while he was the one who was always so quick to lose his temper or patience.

Looking down, he noticed that her fists were clenched tightly in her lap, her body held rigid. Her jaw was clenched tight in obvious anger, her pulse point in her neck pulsating rapidly. He had no clue what had come over her, but he was anxious to get her alone so he could find out.

_“Let go, Kahlan…come to me…”_

“And what makes you think we have this Stone of Tears?” Mitta finally asked, not appearing the least bit rattled by Kahlan’s threat. The other members of the Council, however, had visibly blanched.

“I don’t know that you even have it,” Richard calmly replied, doing his best to keep his worry over Kahlan reined in. “I only know that this is the way that the compass directed me to go in my search for the Stone.”

“This is ridiculous!” Kahlan suddenly hissed, leaping to her feet and taking them all by surprise. “This tribe is no threat to us, Richard. Let me confess them and we can leave.”

“Kahlan, sit down,” he angrily growled, seizing her arm and pulling her back down on the bench with him. “Please forgive the Mother Confessor. She has been battling headaches recently and hasn’t been feeling herself lately.”

“I feel fine, Richard” she scowled, her blue eyes flashing with deadly intent as she glared at her Seeker. “I just don’t appreciate being treated like this.”

Feeling things quickly spiraling out of control, Tolla suddenly spoke up from behind the Seeker and Confessor. “It is true, Council Elders,” Tolla said. “They could have easily attacked me and my men with this sword that now hangs at my hip or with the Confessor’s magic, but they willingly surrendered to us. It is also true that the Mother Confessor has been very ill. Odo has been tending to her since their arrival here last night.”

Mitta seemed to mull over the Tolla’s words for a moment before slowly nodding her head. “We will take all of this into consideration as we make our decision,” she finally spoke. “Take them back to the Spirit House until our decision has been made. Make sure they have anything they need in the meantime.”

Tolla bowed deeply before escorting Richard and Kahlan out of the hut. Following Kahlan outside, Richard walked in silence as he watched her, his mind reeling over what had just happened. He was trying to avoid a battle with these people and Kahlan had all but provoked one.

This was not his Confessor, not the same woman that he had fallen in love with. Something had happened to her, something that he couldn’t begin to comprehend.

XXX

Slowly opening his eyes, Demos Rahl released a satisfied gasp, a wicked smile splitting his face as he lowered his arms, allowing them to fall to his sides. It had worked. The magical mark he had placed on the Mother Confessor was finally taking control of her, allowing him to pass his thoughts on to her.

Soon, she wouldn’t be able to fight him, would no longer be able to decide for herself, choosing her own actions to take. She would be completely under his control, doing his bidding and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it.

“I take it that it worked,” Mistress Lucinda spoke from where she patiently watched him.

“Better than I could have ever imagined,” he beamed, rubbing his hands together. “I could almost see into her mind, feel her emotions and read her thoughts.”

Lucinda drew a deep breath in an attempt to contain her fierce jealousy. She didn’t like the idea of her Lord Rahl being linked to the Mother Confessor nor did she like his infatuation with her, but there was little she could do about it at the moment.

The Mother Confessor had become an integral part of her Lord Rahl’s plans to take over the Midlands and then eventually Westland before conquering the Old World. Eliminating her would only infuriate him, possibly causing him to banish her from his presence forever or have her killed. She could not live with that humiliation.

At the same time, she also was not going to share him with Kahlan Amnell. She would do whatever it took to keep him for herself.

“Richard should be noticing a change in his Confessor now, one that he won’t be able to save her from,” Demos told her. “Soon, she’ll succumb to the pain and then she will be all mine to control as I see fit.”

Lucinda watched as he made his way to her, his movements stiff and tentative. “Do you wish me to find the healer to see to your…injuries?” she inquired, quirking an eyebrow, more than pleased to have been the one to have brought him such pleasure mingled with pain last night.

“Later,” he dismissed with a wave of his hand. “I have much to do before Kahlan finally arrives, but I do appreciate your concern. You were very…attentive…to my needs last night.”

Lucinda smirked, her heart beginning to race with his nearness. The ominous darkness that he seemed to exude only added to his allure, making him that much more desirable to her, causing her to crave him even more. Last night had been one of their most active sessions together yet, his passionate lust insatiable and only matched by hers.

She herself still felt the stinging pain of their union, but she welcomed it. It meant that he had chosen her above all the other Mord’Sith at his disposal, all the young virgins in the People’s Palace. He had wanted her and had made doubly sure that she had felt it in his every action last night.

“Will you be requiring my services again tonight?” she practically purred, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him.

“No, I’m afraid not,” he shook his head. “I have made other plans for tonight.”

Lucinda immediately stiffened, knowing what those other plans were. They had found him another maiden who resembled the Mother Confessor for him to take to his bedchambers tonight. Her hands balled up into fists at the thought, her red leather gloves creaking softly with the movement.

Demos would need her again, wouldn’t be able to go for long without requesting her services again. She would be with him again soon. Of that, she was more than certain.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 13

Entering the Spirit House, Tolla Nakunam followed them inside. “This is a good thing that they need to take time to discuss their decision,” he informed them. “I wouldn’t be alarmed about it. As soon as I hear anything, I will come to let you know.”

“Thank you, Tolla Nakunam,” Richard stated, glancing at his Confessor who was now wondering around the Spirit House like a prowling animal seeking release. He could practically feel her irritation rolling off of her. “We appreciate you speaking on our behalf for us.”

“I don’t know what good it did, but we can hope,” he replied with a regretful shake of his head. “I will see that more food is brought to you. Does the Mother Confessor require Odo again? She does not appear well.”

“No, I don’t believe she does at the moment,” the Seeker frowned, anxious to be alone with Kahlan. 

“If she does, please let Temin or Hadi know,” Tolla told him as turned to leave.

Richard nodded his head as the Tolla left, his focus solely on his Confessor. Something was terribly wrong with her and he had no clue what it was. The only thing he could think of was that it was related somehow to that unusual mark that had appeared on her arm the other day.

“We have to get out of here,” she fumed from the other side of the room after the Tolla left. “We don’t have time for this. You should’ve grabbed your sword when you had the chance. I can still confess them and get us out of here.”

“What is this, Kahlan?” he asked, shaking his head in confusion as he stared at her. “What’s going on with you?”

“What do you mean?” she paused to look at him, puzzled. “Nothing is wrong with me, Richard. We just need to leave so we can find Zedd and Cara and continue our quest.”

“I’m sure Zedd and Cara are fine,” he frowned. “You on the other hand are far from it. What was that in there with the Council of the Elders?”

Kahlan turned to fully face him, crossing her arms over her chest in unspoken defiance. “What are you talking about? I was just doing my duty.”

“I’m talking about you losing your temper and threatening to confess the Council,” he snapped, his frustration mounting. Everything felt so out of control right now, nothing making any sense to him – most of all Kahlan.

“You saw how disrespectful they were to me,” she stated, her eyes still flashing with anger. “I couldn’t let them get away with that. I am the Mother Confessor no matter where I go. I will be respected for the authority and the power that I possess.”

“Kahlan, this isn’t like you,” he shook his head as he moved to stand before her. “You have never shown anything but compassion and consideration unless provoked. You’ve never exerted your authority over others unless it was absolutely necessary.”

“I found it very necessary,” she coldly replied. “Besides, we don’t have time for this, Richard. We have to stop the Keeper and Darken Rahl…or would you prefer they be let loose from the Underworld so they can finish what they started with me?”

Kahlan’s words struck him hard just as sure as if she had struck his face, igniting his fury in a way that she never had before. His eyes narrowed with the sudden anger that caused his heart to pound, his raptor gaze now leveled at the woman he loved. Her words had cut deep, the stinging pain of it nearly taking his breath away.

“How could you even say such a thing like that, Kahlan?” he asked with a deadly calm, his heart hammering. 

“You don’t know what I went through,” she sneered.

“You’re right; I don’t! You refuse to even talk to me about what happened to you, remember?” he hissed. “You keep pushing me away like I don’t even matter to you anymore…and then you’re suddenly kissing me like you love me. I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“I don’t want to talk to you about it,” she bit out, visibly shivering despite herself with the memories that threatened to surface again.

Seeing her reaction, he took a step closer, doing his best to keep a grip on his steadily heating emotions. He wanted his Kahlan back and this was definitely not it. “Why are you acting like this?” he demanded to know.

“I just want out of here so we can find the Stone. I don’t want anyone to suffer what I did,” she yelled at him.

Crossing his arms against his chest in a mirror image of his Confessor, Richard felt his anger running in waves under his skin, anger for what had happened to her, fury for being so utterly helpless to fix it. “I understand that and I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening, but I’m not about to start a bloodbath with these people if we can talk our way out of it.”

“Sometimes you have to fight,” she reminded him, her blue eyes darkening like an approaching storm.

Richard studied her, his mind racing with what could possibly be wrong with her. She had never spoken to him like this before, had never tried to hurt him like this. She looked as though she could spit liquid flames, her chest rising and falling heavily with the emotions storming through her at that moment.

“What’s wrong, Kahlan?” he asked, his voice suddenly calmer than what it had been. “This isn’t you…this isn’t the Kahlan I know and love. What’s happening to you…to us?”

Kahlan stared at him for a long moment before slowly looking around at her surroundings as if seeing it all for the first time, seeing him for the first time. Her face was clouded with sudden confusion as she ran her hand across her forehead as if trying to wipe away the chaos in her mind. 

“I…I don’t know. I just thought…I was doing what was best,” she softly replied, her gaze falling as uncertainty abruptly replaced her simmering anger. It felt like something had suddenly been lifted from her mind, allowing her to be in control of herself again. It left her feeling confused and bewildered.

His heart sank as he watched her bottom lip begin to tremble, his own anger vanishing as well. She honestly didn’t realize what she had done, the things that she had said to him. He quickly reached out to her, swiftly pulling her into his arms and holding her close to him.

“It’s alright,” he whispered into her hair, worry thundering through his heart. “No harm done…but you may need to confess a couple of Aku to get us out of here if this doesn’t go well.”

His teasing attempt to lighten the mood did little to stop the tears from coming or allay her mounting fears. “I…I’m so sorry,” she murmured, burying her face into the crook of his neck as she cried. “I don’t know why I said those things to you.”

Richard pressed his lips against her hair as he felt her tighten her hold on him, heartbroken by her anguish, by the things that were happening to her, things he couldn’t begin to understand. “It’s going to be alright, Kahlan” he said. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she softly gasped. “It’s like I’m losing control and I don’t even know it sometimes.”

“Something is going on that we don’t understand yet, but I swear on my life I will not stop until we find out what it is.”

Several long moments passed in silence as she savored the comfort and safety that his warm embrace always instilled within her. “I meant it when I said that you should leave me here, get away from me.”

“Kahlan, I can’t…I won’t,” he began to protest.

“Richard, I’m serious,” she angrily replied, pulling free from his hold on her, the fire returning to her eyes once more. 

“And so am I,” he responded with equal stubborn anger as he watched her suddenly turn her back to him. “I’m not leaving you, Kahlan – not now, not ever.”

“It’s too dangerous for you to be near me,” she heatedly insisted, her voice rising once more. “I feel like I’m losing myself and…and…Spirits, Richard! These headaches are so unbearable I feel my control over my magic slipping. I don’t know if I’ll be able to control it the next time it comes.”

“I am not afraid of you or your magic, Kahlan,” he protested. “There is nothing you could ever do, nothing you could say to me that would ever make me leave you or stop loving you.”

“You say that now, but…”

Richard watched as her shoulders suddenly slumped with his words, her head lowering. He drew a deep breath to temper his anger and frustration that thrummed through his veins at that moment. He slowly made his way over to her, his hands slipping around her waist and pulling her back against his chest, needing to touch her, hold her.

“You can trust me with anything, Kahlan,” he murmured, his eyes falling closed as he breathed in her captivating scent. “I just wish you would believe me.”

“I do believe you,” she whispered, momentarily relaxing in his arms despite herself. “I trust you more than anyone in this world.”

“Then believe me when I say that I love you and I will find a way to help you, to stop whatever is happening to you,” he reassured her. “I didn’t risk everything to get you back just to lose you now.”

“You’re too stubborn for your own good, Seeker,” she sadly told him, partially teasing, but mostly serious. He was going to get himself confessed if he stayed with her too much longer.

“But I finally met my match in you, Confessor,” he teased in return.

Kahlan pulled herself from his arms, keeping her back to him. “You’re bound and determined to be confessed to me, aren’t you?”

Her voice was so sad, so full of regret that it pricked his soul. He felt her walls coming back up again, the Confessor’s face slipping neatly into place again without even seeing it. “Kahlan, you confessed me the moment I saw you running through my woods, the moment I gazed into your impossibly blue eyes…and you never even had to use magic on me.”

“I wish it was enough,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

“I believe it is,” he ventured down the path again, the same one that they had tread so many times already. “My love is enough, Kahlan.”

“I love you, Richard,” she softly replied. “But sometimes love just isn’t enough…no matter how badly we want it to be.”

Richard began to shake his head, her heartbreaking resignation feeling so final, so permanent. “Kahlan, I refuse to believe that…”

“I’m going to lie down for a little bit,” she quickly interrupted, swallowing back her rising tears. “The headache is beginning to come back again.”

Richard quickly seized her hand as she walked past him, pulling her to a stop beside him. Standing shoulder to shoulder, neither one looked at each other as they just stood stone still for a long moment that seemed to last an eternity. 

His thumb softly caressed the back of her hand, trying to tell her in that simple touch everything that he had been so desperate to say to her, everything that had been consuming his heart.

“Our love is enough, Kahlan,” he quietly said, the determined tone of his voice leaving little room for argument. “Someday, I will prove it to you.”

“I hope you do,” she whispered so soft that Richard wasn’t quite certain that he had truly heard it.

He turned and watched her move to lay by the fire, exhaustion clinging to every fiber of her being. They needed to get out of here, to find Zedd and Cara soon. He couldn’t stop the overwhelming fear that continually clawed at his very soul, telling him that he was on the verge of losing her all over again.

XXX

Cara winced as she pushed some branches out of her way, her shoulder throbbing painfully. She was doing her best to ignore its insistent pulsing that seemed to match every beat of her heart, but it was a constant reminder of her failure. 

She had allowed her emotions to get in the way, allowed it to control her, grip her. She had always been able to temper and rule her feelings, keeping them buried deep inside and never allowing them to get in the way of her duties. This time, though, she had allowed her fears and frustrations, her anger to flow through her, melding and molding into the firm grip she’d had on her agiels.

She had tortured that poor man beyond reason, causing him to suffer unimaginable pain instead of delivering a quick and painless death like she had learned to do. He was just an innocent man, a baneling who had been given a second chance at life, manipulated into returning to this world by the Keeper in return for his service.

The Mord’Sith growled under her breath, cursing to herself. How had these emotions of hers gotten so close to the surface, lingering just beneath her skin to appear when she least expected them to?

Richard Rahl. 

It was all his fault. If he had not encouraged her to get in touch with her emotions, opening her heart like that then she wouldn’t be struggling to keep a tight hold on them like this. He had set her up for failure; she was sure of it.

He had to have known that she would never able to handle the onslaught of emotions that touching her humanity would bring about. Did he honestly think that she was capable of handling this? That she would be able to deal with these needless emotions that only got in the way of duty?

He had too much faith in her, misplaced trust that she would be able to cope with these useless feelings, know how to deal with emotions that she hadn’t had to feel in so long. How could she truly protect her Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor if she had an inner battle being waged in her soul?

Zedd watched the Mord’Sith as she stomped through the forest like an enraged gar. She was a storm of emotions raging beneath the surface, set to explode at any moment. He treaded carefully behind her, keeping an eye on her while trying to also to stay clear.

He knew that she needed a little time to sort through what had happened this morning with the banelings. He hadn’t seen her lose control like that in months, but he knew it was entirely understandable. They had all been through an emotional whirlwind the last couple of weeks, one that didn’t seem to be ending any time soon for any of them.

He shared her fears, her anger and resentment over the things that had happened, the interference by Demos Rahl. He knew that life for the Seeker and Mother Confessor was never easy, but when would peace ever become a part of their lives?

No one deserved it more than Richard and Kahlan, no one had a right to be happy and know love more than those two. He just hoped that this time alone together would help them get past their hurts and anger, to finally help each other heal.

And of course, their dear Cara. She deserved to know real love and happiness as well. He knew that her eyes had been opened to the beauty of love, the personification of it in Richard and Kahlan. They were a walking, talking, breathing reality of what true love can be between a man and a woman.

Zedd had no doubts in his mind about his grandson’s love for his Confessor. His love was more than enough to do battle with Kahlan’s deadly magic. The problem was that Richard had to figure it out himself. Telling him the secret to loving a Confessor would only plant seeds of doubt in the Seeker’s mind that his love was truly strong enough.

Richard needed to give himself completely over to her – heart, soul, body, will, and mind, holding not one iota of himself back or he would be confessed to her forever.

He knew, though, his grandson’s love would prove truer than any arrow, sharper than the Sword of Truth itself.

His attention was drawn back to his travelling companion and the obvious irritation that her shoulder wound was causing her though he knew that she’d be loath to admit it. “Cara, why don’t we take a small break and I’ll take a look at your shoulder?”

“We don’t have time,” she replied without pausing in her step. “Besides, I’m fine.”

“Cara…”

The reprimanding tone of his voice caused her to stop. Drawing a deep breath, she finally turned to face him. “I appreciate your concern, Zedd, but I assure you that I have endured much worse than this,” she calmly said.

Zedd could see the truth of her words in her eyes as well as the guilt that still lingered there. He stepped closer, his eyes not leaving hers as he placed a gentle hand on her injured shoulder. “My dear, don’t punish yourself over what happened this morning,” he told her. “You are just as human as the rest of us, I’m afraid.”

“I let Richard down,” she softly replied, her gaze falling.

“I highly doubt that,” he shook his head in disagreement. “Besides, I’m not sure any of us are in a very good state of mind right now. Just because it happened primarily to Richard and Kahlan doesn’t mean that it doesn’t affect us as well, that it doesn’t hurt us to watch how they have been made to suffer.”

Cara finally raised her eyes to meet his understanding gaze. “I don’t know if I can do it,” she admitted. “Richard has put more faith in me than I deserve.”

“I don’t believe that for one moment,” he smiled. “You know Richard is an excellent judge of character, as an inner sense about a person’s nature that goes far beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s downright annoying,” she snorted, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms against her chest.

“Come, let me take a look at your shoulder,” he tried again with a chuckle. “We have to have you good as new so you can take out Demos and his soldiers when they attack again. You and I both know Richard will want revenge for what he did to Kahlan.”

“I can hardly wait to get my hands on that imposter Demos Rahl,” she spat out as she let Zedd take her pack from her.

“Now, that is one man I will not keep you from torturing for as long as you would like,” he agreed.

Pulling her leather from her shoulder so the Wizard could heal her, Cara couldn’t help the smirk that touched her lips. “I can hardly wait.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 14

Kahlan sighed softly at the feel of Richard stroking her hair. She loved the feel of his fingers slowly gliding through the strands, the gentle caress of his touch in her hair. It was so unbelievably soothing to her soul, such a simple loving connection to him that she never wanted to end.

For how long she had slept, she didn’t know, but she certainly wasn’t prepared to open her eyes yet. She was beyond ashamed for the way that she had acted, the terrible things that she’d said to Richard. She had no idea what had come over her except that her anger had gotten a hold of her, blinding her to the words that had sprung so fiercely from her lips as if someone else had been saying them.

It was so unlike her to react that way. She had learned long ago how to temper her emotions, trained to be in complete control at all times. But now…now she was quickly losing that control that had been her constant companion, a comfort to her in a strange way.

It had become her shield, the emotionless mask of the Confessor. It had allowed her to hide so many things, so many emotions from those around her, protecting her and her heart. It had hid her anger and her fears, her hurt as well as her deepest desires. 

In the beginning after meeting Richard, it had been her allay in her growing feelings for her Seeker, keeping her heart hidden and guarding her own private secret. But she had fallen for Richard, tumbling headlong into that wonderful freefall called love, relishing the way that he made her heart skip a little faster, beat a little harder. 

He made her flush so hot inside, causing her stomach to flutter and her spine to tingle, but she had been able to hide, hide her fear as well as her longing from him. Eventually, though, her feelings had broken through, being drawn out against her will by him. She soon found she could never hide from him for long even behind her mask.

And now was no different.

“Are you feeling better?”

The soft gentle sound of his voice so full of concern, tentative with the fear she knew that possessed him crept into her thoughts. He always knew her, knew her better than she knew herself most times. She could no longer pretend to be asleep.

“Somewhat,” she sleepily murmured, not wanting to move yet.

How she had ended up tucked into his lap again, she had no idea, but knew she never wanted to leave. She felt so warm, so safe from the world when she was with him. She was thankful he hadn’t stopped stroking her hair. She felt guilty for receiving such tender attention from him after the terrible things that she had said. She couldn’t bear to face him just yet, to have to look into those warm brown eyes and see the hurt that she had put there.

After several long minutes of silence, she finally spoke again. “How long did I sleep?”

“Quite some time,” he thoughtfully replied. “It’s afternoon already.”

Stunned, Kahlan sat up despite herself. “What?” she exclaimed. “Has the Council made their decision already?”

“Yes, not long after you fell asleep,” he informed her, reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.

“And?” she asked, anxiety rising knowing that her threats against the Council could have earned them a death sentence.

He waited a couple of beats longer than necessary to respond, watching her panic surface. “We’re free to leave when we want to,” he told her with a soft smile.

Kahlan visibly relaxed with his words as she looked about the Spirit House, trying to gather her thoughts. She saw their packs lying against a far wall, the Sword of Truth and her daggers there as well. “Why didn’t you wake me? We could have left hours ago.”

It wasn’t a stern admonishment and he didn’t take it as such, not with her face still laced with so much guilt. “You were finally sleeping so well I didn’t want to wake you,” he said. “You weren’t having nightmares this time, were you?”

Kahlan thought for a long moment before replying. “No,” she murmured, softly shaking her head in amazement. “No, I wasn’t.”

Richard folded his hands in his lap to keep from reaching out to touch her again. He felt he had pushed her enough for one day without adding to her stress. “I’m glad, Kahlan,” he sincerely replied. “I hated having to sit back and watch you battle my brother in your sleep knowing there was nothing I could do stop him.”

She finally met his gaze again, holding it this time and seeing pure love there still mingled with hurt. The tiny lines around his eyes conveyed his concern, his fear for her, but there was no anger with her. It made her heart skip a beat at the intensity of that love, knowing that it was all for her and none other.

Resting a hand on his knee, she scooted closer again. “Thank you for watching over me,” she softly said. “I don’t deserve you, Richard Cypher.”

Looking down at her hand on his leg, he couldn’t resist taking it into his own hand and holding it tightly. “It is I who doesn’t deserve you, Kahlan Amnell.”

They stared at one another, losing themselves in each other’s depths, tension suddenly dissipating if but for only a moment. Both had so many things that they wanted to tell each other, needed so desperately to say, neither knowing where to even begin to heal the hurts that lay bare and open on their hearts.

“We should probably get going…since we’re free to leave now,” she murmured, her eyes still fixed on his.

Her voice didn’t sound very persuasive even to her, the feel of his thumb softly brushing against the back of her hand sending tingles racing up her arm. She felt her pulse quicken as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. She wanted him to kiss her so badly, to feel his tongue in her mouth, but knew that they couldn’t.

“I thought we’d wait,” he replied. “Allow you to get a little more rest while we wait for Zedd and Cara. I imagine it won’t take them very long to find a way around that rift.”

“What if they get caught by the Aku hunting party?”

“I’ve already told Nakunam about them,” he informed her. “They will keep a look out for them and escort them here so we can leave together once they arrive.”

“What made the Council decide to allow us to live?”

“You scared them half to death,” he teased, a lop-sided grin suddenly tugging at his lips. “They were terrified of the beautiful fiery Confessor they said. They’re afraid you’re going to confess the entire village if they make you too angry.”

Richard watched as a blush rose to her cheeks, igniting his need for her that always simmered in his core waiting for release. She dipped her head and averted his eyes, shame veiling her beautiful face. He ached to kiss her, his body begging her to join with him in blissful release.

“Richard,” she gently scoffed, pursing her lips. “They didn’t really say that, did they?”

“Afraid so,” he affirmed, tightening his hold on her hand as she tried to pull it free. “They also agreed that it was vitally important for us to stop the Keeper before he destroys their village as well as the world.”

Tears suddenly began to brim in her eyes as she stared into his soulful depths, his heart reflecting so intently there in those orbs. “I’m so sorry I said those things to you, Richard. I know you would do everything to keep me safe.”

“It’s okay,” Richard shook his head. 

“No…it’s not okay,” she heatedly replied, pulling away from him and getting to her feet. 

“I let you down, Kahlan. You have every right in the world to be angry with me. I wasn’t there for you…wasn’t able to keep Darken Rahl and the Keeper from touching you. It’s killing me inside knowing that they hurt you and I couldn’t stop it.”

The extent of his anger and guilt ran so very deep, reflected in the darkening storm gathering in his eyes and the tight set of his jaw as he got to his feet as well. She couldn’t help but notice the sudden distance that stretched between them once again as they stood their facing one another.

She wanted to go to him, to throw herself into his arms, but she knew deep down that she didn’t deserve it, didn’t deserve him. She had purposefully shut him out, keeping him at arm’s length and refusing to tell him what he wanted to know. She felt like all she did anymore was hurt him no matter how hard she tried not to.

“There was nothing you could have done to stop him, Richard,” she softly murmured, the horror he saw reflecting in her blue eyes rattling him to his very core. “He would’ve only made you suffer as well and I couldn’t handle that.”

Richard watched as she wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly or attempting to hold herself together, he didn’t know. He wanted so badly to be the one holding her, to be the one she leaned on to keep her together.

“Kahlan, what…what did he do to you?” he whispered, horrified not to know and yet terrified of hearing her response.

Tears instantly pooled in her eyes again as she stared distantly at him, seeing him and yet not really as memories began to drag her back into that very dark place that she never wanted to return to. She slowly began shaking her head, her bottom lip trembling at the onslaught of memories that rushed to the surface of her mind as she took an unconscious step back.

“Richard…” she softly gasped, closing her eyes against his heated gaze.

“I’m sorry,” he quickly said, his shoulders slumping in defeat, realizing what he had just done to her again. “I didn’t mean to push you or upset you. You don’t have to tell me anything, Kahlan.”

“I…I just can’t,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Richard.”

Richard watched her shut down right before his eyes again, a cold sense of helplessness washing through him. Swallowing past the thick knot in his throat, he suddenly decided on a different approach, one that would hopefully help things feel a little more normal between them again, help her trust him again.

“Do you want to go for a walk with me?” he asked, hope lacing his voice. “It’ll do you some good to get out of here for a little while and I’d like to see what the rest of the village is like.”

“I’d like that,” she softly smiled, wiping the tears from her face. 

“Just promise not to try to confess anyone while we’re out in public,” he lightly teased, doing his best to calm her fears as well as his own.

“I still don’t know what came over me,” she muttered as she followed him to the door, covering her face with her hand in embarrassment.

Richard strapped on his sword before quickly taking her hand away from her face, clasping it firmly in his. “I better keep a tight grasp on you just to be safe,” he smiled, pleased when she didn’t try to pull away from his hold on her.

She paused to look at him, her mouth opening to say something, but quickly thought better of it. She wanted so desperately to tell him everything, allowing him to see the dark ugly stain she felt that she bore now because of what had happened to her, but she so feared that he’d no longer find her beautiful, his love for her vanishing.

She couldn’t bear it, wouldn’t survive it. He had somehow managed to become her everything, the reason her heart beat and she never wanted it to end.

Richard stopped at the doorway, staring at her for a moment, the terrible struggle warring deep inside of her evident in her blue eyes. How he wished more than anything that he could ease her pain, erase her hurts and fears. No matter what it took, he was going to get through to her one way or another, no matter how long it took.

“It’ll be alright, Kahlan,” he murmured, his fingers lightly tracing the delicate curve of her face. “No matter what you’re going through or how hard you try to push me away, I’m never going to leave you…never.”

Kahlan slowly nodded her head in response, her special smile for him finding her lips. She hoped that he was right, that they were going to be able to get past all of this someday and go back to the way things used to be. Without him, her life was nothing.

XXX

Hadi stormed out of the gathering house, curses being muttered under his breath. Mitta and the Council of Elders had no idea what they were doing letting the Seeker and Mother Confessor live let alone roam freely through their village like honored guests.

They were not only outsiders, but very dangerous at that. They posed a deadly threat to their tribe whether the Council agreed or not. They could not be trusted and yet they just handed that deadly sword back over to the Seeker.

He was not going to just sit back and let those two destroy their village. He was going to do something about it one way or another.

“Hadi!”

Hadi spun on his heel to find Temin running to catch up with him. “What’s wrong?”

“Mitta and the Council that’s what!” Hadi sneered.

“What happened?” he asked, taken aback by the extent of his friend’s rage. He’d seen him angry before, losing his temper, but this was almost out of control even for him. “What did the Council say?”

“They let them go,” he ground out, turning away from his friend as he stalked through the village, his hands balled up into furious fists.

“Why would they do that?” Temin shook his head as he followed.

“Tolla Nakunam persuaded them, spoke on their behalf.”

Temin pulled Hadi to a sudden stop. “The Tolla spoke on their behalf?”

Hadi nodded. “And they sided with him.”

Temin stared at him in wide-eyed surprise. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Mitta said that they consulted our ancestors’ spirits and they also told them to let the outsiders pass,” he informed him. “They are needed to defeat the Keeper or we’ll all be destroyed.”

“Well then, it must be true if the ancestors’ spirits said so,” Temin said.

“How do we even know that they contacted the spirits?” Hadi demanded to know. “Maybe the Council just said that they did.”

“Mitta and the Elders wouldn’t lie about something as sacred as that or knowingly put the Aku in danger.”

“All I know is that things aren’t like they used to be,” Hadi spat out. “Mitta, the Council of Elders, Tolla Nakunam…they’ve all grown soft. They’ve lost their will to fight to keep our sacred ways and traditions.”

“Maybe there really is something about all this that is true,” Temin replied, trying to talk some sense into his friend.

“And maybe we should just kill them both before they have a chance to destroy us.”

“Hadi, you can’t be serious,” Temin snapped. “The Council said not to touch them and their word is final. You can’t go against the Council. You could be banished from the tribe…or worse.”

“Now even when the Council is being fooled,” he hissed. “What if that witch has confessed them and we don’t even know it?”

“She did not confess the Council,” Temin frowned, crossing his arms against his chest.

“How do you know?”

“We were standing right outside of the gathering house,” Temin countered. “We would have known if something had happened in there.”

“Temin, they are a threat to us,” he said. “That woman could choose to take you as a mate, force you to leave with her. What will happen to Pasha then? Who will take care of your sister?”

“That won’t happen,” Temin said, anger punctuating his every word. “The woman is already mated with the Seeker. It’s obvious they’re together.”

“How do you know that she won’t take several mates to replenish her kind?” Hadi demanded. “I’ve heard rumors that she is the last of her race of people.”

“Hadi…” he scoffed in disbelief.

“Or how do you know the Seeker won’t want your sister for his mate?” he pressed. “Pasha is very beautiful. What man would not want more than one woman pleasuring him every night?”

Hadi watched with satisfaction as his words finally struck a chord in his friend, the muscles of his bronzed face tightening with anger. “No one touches my sister,” he fumed. “I will be the one to choose her mate when the time comes.”

“And what about that magnificent sword that hangs at the Seeker’s hip again?” Hadi pointed out. “It should be yours, not his.”

Just then, Hadi turned, noticing the Seeker and Mother Confessor walking freely through their village. He felt his stomach tighten with rage, a thirst for their blood demanding to be quenched. “I don’t care what the Council says,” he stated. “I will not stand for this. I will make sure the entire tribe sees what kind of people they really are before it’s too late.”

Temin stared at his friend as he stormed away, a nervous chill shivering through him. He had never seen Hadi so worked up before. He didn’t know what he had against the strangers, but he was anxious to find out.

While he didn’t agree with Mitta and the Council’s decision, he also saw no real reason to assume that the outsiders posed any sort of threat to them. When the Seeker had easily disarmed Hadi of his spear, he could have easily killed his friend, but the Seeker hadn’t.

Temin had a deep suspicion that the Seeker and Mother Confessor were not people that they should mess with. It was better to leave them be. He just hoped he could convince Hadi of that before it was too late.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 15

Walking through the village hand in hand with his Confessor, Richard couldn’t quite help the small flicker of hope that had sparked inside of him or the smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth. Kahlan had thankfully slept hours without any nightmares, her headache seemed a little better, and although she still wouldn’t talk to him about her struggles and hurts, she was at least letting him hold her hand.

Even though he wanted so much more with her, he was thrilled that she was allowing him this. He couldn’t take her pulling away from him or shutting him completely out. That wasn’t something he could survive.

He needed her in his life, couldn’t go a day without seeing her smile, touching her soft skin or just gazing into her piercing blue eyes that seemed to know every inch of him inside and out. She was the reason he lived, breathed.

He hadn’t known that love could ever be like this until her. Love that he’d thought that he’d had with other girls in the past in Hartland had turned out to be nothing more than just silly little crushes. This…this was love and so very much more.

What he felt for Kahlan went so far beyond the simple bounds of just love, meant something far greater to him. What he felt for this woman, what lived and breathed within the very core of his being for her made the word love seem so very inadequate. Living without her was unacceptable, unimaginable, nearly taking his legs out from beneath him with just the despairing thought alone.

Glancing at her now, he was struck once more by her beauty and the grace with which she moved, the way the sun glistened in her hair, the familiar curve of her face and the gentle curl of her lips. He longed to kiss her, to pull her somewhere private where he could just touch her, kiss her the way that he was so desperate to.

He reluctantly pulled his gaze from her, knowing that he couldn’t allow himself to do that or allow his thoughts to wander down that path. His need for her was hard enough to keep control of sometimes without feeding it, without tormenting himself with what he would love to do to her and with her. It filled his dreams every night as it was.

He kept reminding himself that Kahlan just needed some time to sort through everything that she had been through. They had both been forced to endure unimaginable pain and separation from each other. He couldn’t expect her to just be alright after being tortured and enduring Creator only knows what at his evil brother’s hands in the Underworld.

Richard swore to himself that he would be there with her every step of the way, being her strength and listening when she was ready to talk. He would hold her, comfort her, and be her friend as best he could. He just prayed that she would see in time that his love was enough, that he would be protected from her magic.

He had finally discovered the key to loving her and he couldn’t even act on it yet. But he would be patient, waiting for as long as necessary for her. For her, he would do anything.

Casting a sidelong glance at her handsome Seeker walking at her side, Kahlan couldn’t help the small smile that reached her lips. There was a look of peace about him that had been missing since she had awoken in his arms at the People’s Palace. Even though she knew his anger still simmered just beneath the surface, it seemed as if he had been able to get a hold of it again.

She knew that she had put him through so much more than he ever deserved, bringing him unspeakable pain. She couldn’t do that to him again no matter how much she hurt inside, despite the need for him that ate away at her soul.

Their eyes suddenly met for a brief moment, causing a flutter to erupt in her stomach as she quickly averted her gaze. Spirits, what this man did to her just with a single look, a lingering touch. She longed to kiss him, to give every bit of herself to him, at last holding nothing back from him. 

She wanted so badly to believe that Richard was right, that his love would protect him from her, but she just couldn’t take that chance. The cost was too high, her selfish pleasure not worth the risk to her Seeker’s soul.

She absentmindedly rubbed her forehead, the headache threatening to make itself known again. It was always there, lingering just beneath the surface only to erupt and attack with a fierceness that stole her breath away.

It felt like something else was lingering there in the darkest depths of her mind as well, something sinister and twisted, invading and tormenting, threatening to steal her sanity. She feared that it was Darken Rahl, that he had somehow managed to follow her in her mind into the world of the living.

The thought caused her to shiver with overwhelming dread. The thought of him touching her was horrifying, but living in her mind like this was inconceivable. She ground her teeth in anger at the thought of never being rid of him. It was bad enough the things that he had done to her in the Underworld, what he had been about to do to her. Now, there was no telling what he could do to torment her.

Sensing a sudden change in her, Richard pulled her to stop. “Is the headache coming back?” he asked, his brow revealing his concern. “We can go back to the Spirit House if you want.”

“No, I’m alright,” she shook her head with an attempt at a reassuring smile that fell flat. “I don’t want to go back there yet. I like being out here with you.”

Her words lifted his heart and yet he could see the headache returning in her eyes. “Here, eat another seed,” he said, pulling one from his vest pocket and placing it in the palm of her hand.

She took it without argument confirming his suspicions. He watched as she chewed the seed, the grimace on her face telling him how horrible it tasted as she attempted to swallow it down. He waited for a few moments to see if she needed another one.

Odo had stopped by the Spirit House this morning to check on her while she had been sleeping, providing him with more seeds just in case she had needed them. The Seeker had been more than grateful. They had unfortunately depleted a good portion of their supply during the night just to keep the headache at bay.

He owed Odo and Tolla Nakunam so much for helping them, for helping Kahlan. He had been at his wits’ end trying to help her, sick with worry over what was happening. He knew she was still far from alright yet, but at least the headaches weren’t as relentless as they had been. That alone had brought him a small measure of comfort.

He couldn’t bear to see her suffering in such agonizing pain. He knew firsthand what she was going through and it nearly killed him to have to sit by and watch her try to endure it. Now, he knew how helpless Kahlan had felt watching him suffer like this.

Thankfully, his headaches had been related to his powerful magic and been dealt with when he went to the Palace of the Prophets. With Kahlan, on the other hand, they had no idea what was causing them or how to even stop them.

Richard couldn’t help the sick feeling of dread inside that magic was at the root of all of this. It chilled him to the very marrow of his bones just to think of it.

“Better?” he finally asked after several long moments.

Kahlan drew a deep breath, nodding with relief. “Yes, it’s passing again,” she admitted.

“We have to find out what is causing this,” he shook his head in frustration. “You can’t go on like this, having to eat seeds all the time just to be able to stand up or even function. I hate seeing you like this.”

“Hopefully, Zedd will be able to figure out what’s causing it when they finally meet up with us,” she replied.

“If Cara hasn’t killed him first,” Richard sighed.

Kahlan suddenly turned her head to the side, something catching her attention. Her forehead immediately creased causing Richard to worry. “What is it?”

“Do you smell smoke?”

Richard turned as well, trying to discover where the smell was coming from. “It’s think it’s coming from over that way,” he nodded with his head. “It’s probably just a cooking fire.”

A scream suddenly filled the air, causing them both to take off in a dead run. Dodging around huts, they followed the trail of dark gray smoke spilling from somewhere in the distance. People began running in all directions as panic quickly gripped the village.

Shouts and cries could be heard from all over as Richard and Kahlan drew near, smoke filling the area making it difficult to see. Coming around a corner, they found a large hut in flames, a woman standing outside crying hysterically.

“My babies!” the woman screamed frantically as another woman pulled her back from the flaming hut, keeping her from going in after them.

Without a second thought, Kahlan took off towards the hut, running directly into the flames and disappearing into the thick smoke before Richard had a chance to stop her.

“Kahlan!” Richard yelled as he raced in to follow her, only to be brought to a sudden stop by the frantic woman.

“You have to save my daughters!” she sobbed, tugging on his sleeve. “Please! Save my babies!”

“Stay here,” he told her, prying her fingers from his shirt. He had to get to Kahlan. She was in no shape to be running into a burning house like that. “I’ll get your children out. How many are there?”

“Two little girls,” she cried, clutching at his shirt sleeve again. “Please, save my babies!”

Kahlan quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hand as she searched for the children trapped within the burning hut. Pieces of the thatched roof began to crumble as it succumbed to the flames, crashing in on top of her and adding to the swirling chaos around them.

She could barely make out the children’s cries over the roaring of the flames the surrounded her. She began to cough, squinting as she fought to see through the smoke that burned her eyes. She quickly raised an arm in a futile attempt to protect her face from the heat of the flames that threatened to consume her as well.

Breaking free of the woman, Richard raced inside, frantically searching for Kahlan. He immediately grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled it up to cover his mouth and nose as he dodged a piece of the roof that suddenly gave way above him. Everything was engulfed in flames by now, growing hotter with every moment that slipped by.

“Kahlan!” he screamed for her, receiving no response.

He began to cough from the choking smoke that threatened to stop him from moving deeper inside the large structure. He forced his way through despite the fierce inferno, desperate to find Kahlan and the children and get them out of here.

Turning, Richard suddenly spotted movement in the far corner of the hut. Racing towards them, he was relieved to see Kahlan with two small children in her arms. Reaching her, he quickly snatched one of the children before grabbing her around the waist and dragging her towards the entrance.

“Richard, watch out!” Kahlan screamed, shoving him aside just as a large portion of the roof caved in. 

Stumbling, the Seeker quickly righted himself, cradling the small child against his chest to keep the smoke out of her face. “Come on!” he yelled to her to follow him as he turned towards the door.

Protectively holding the child against him, Richard raced outside, breathing heavily as the mother ran to him, frantically pulling her daughter out of his arms as she cried her gratitude to the Seeker. Turning around, Richard found that Kahlan was no longer behind him. 

Panic seized him as he immediately ran towards the door, knowing she couldn’t survive in there much longer with all of that smoke. Reaching the door, he was suddenly forced back by a violent crash as the entrance collapsed directly in front of him, forcing him back.

With a deadly scream of rage, Richard drew his sword, hacking at the hut with all of his strength in an effort to make a way of escape. His chest was heaving, his eyes stinging with tears from the thick smoke that continued to roll out of the flaming structure as he worked to free his Confessor.

“Kahlan!” he frantically screamed for her, desperate for her to hear him.

Stepping back, he nearly fell to his knees as Kahlan suddenly raced outside with the second child tucked safely against her chest. Her face was streaked with soot, her eyes red. She was coughing violently as she dropped to her knees in exhaustion.

The mother quickly snatched her other daughter out of the Mother Confessor’s arms, tears streaming down her face as she backed away. Kahlan fought to catch her breath as she continued to cough, tears slipping down her cheeks as she knelt on the ground choking for every breath she drew. Her fingers curled into the dirt as she fought to calm her pounding heart.

Richard raced to her, falling down in front of her and pulling her into his arms. “Kahlan,” he murmured in relief as he took her face into his hands. “Are you alright?”

“Yes…I think so…” she managed to choke out between coughs and gasps for air.

Kahlan suddenly pulled from his hold on her and leapt to her feet, her anger flaring hotly as she stormed towards the mother comfortin her two little girls in her arms. “How did this happen?” she demanded to know.

“I…I don’t know…” the mother stammered, curling her body even further around her daughters. “I…I just…stepped outside for a moment…and then…”

Kahlan glared at her, her hand twitching with the fury within, wanting to confess the woman for her negligence. “You should never have…” Kahlan began to yell when Richard abruptly grabbed her from around the waist and pulled her away.

“Kahlan, stop!” he heatedly said, dragging her away from the frightened mother. “What are you doing?”

Kahlan spun on him, leveling her heated glare on him, her chest heaving. Her eyes were practically glowing with the extent of her fury. It caused a shiver of dread to race through him as he gazed into her eyes. It was like he was looking into the eyes of someone else, someone who was not his Kahlan.

“If she hadn’t left those small children alone…” she sneered, pointing behind her at the woman.

“Kahlan, I know,” he said, forcefully grasping hold of her shoulders to keep her focus on him. “It’s alright now. It was just an accident.”

“But…those children...” she growled, trying desperately to keep a tight grip on her magic threatening to tear right through her. “Richard…”

“Kahlan, calm down,” he tried to soothe her. “Everyone is alright. No one was hurt.”

Just then a firm hand on his shoulder pulled his attention away from Kahlan. Turning, he found himself staring into Tolla Nakunam’s tear-filled eyes. “Seeker,” Tolla softly said. “How can I begin to repay you for saving my children?”

“There is nothing to repay, Tolla,” he replied. “I’m just glad we were here to help.”

“You both ran into a fire to save two children that weren’t even your own,” he shook his head in disbelief. “Outsiders would never do that for us.”

“We would do it for anyone,” he reassured him. “I’m just relieved we were able to get them out in time and that they’re safe.”

“I owe you my life,” he swallowed hard.

“And we owe you ours,” the Seeker reminded him.

Looking past him, Richard noticed Temin and Hadi standing off to the side of the gathered crowd, their spears tightly in hand. The hard look on Hadi’s face caused him to pause, a sudden sense of unease drifting over him. There was something about the man that he didn’t like, leaving him on edge. He was going to have to keep an eye on him.

“Are you alright?” Odo asked, pushing his way through the crowd.

“I think so, but you should check on Kahlan,” Richard told the healer. “She was inside longer than I was.”

“Confessor Kahlan,” Odo frowned. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’ll be alright,” she said, her angry suddenly diminishing. “Could just use a bath right now.”

“I’d be more than happy to escort the both of you to the hidden hot springs,” Odo announced. “You can bathe there.”

“And then tonight, you will be our guests in a special feast in honor of saving the children,” Mitta added, coming to stand beside the healer.

“You don’t need to go to all that trouble,” Richard replied. “We were just happy that we could help.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Mitta insisted, smiling for the first time since they had met her. “It will be a great privilege to have a celebration tonight for you after what you just did for us.”

“Thank you,” Richard said. “We would be honored.”

While Richard talked to Mitta, Odo pulled Kahlan away from the Seeker for a moment. “Are you sure you are alright, Confessor Kahlan?” he asked. “I can tell your spirit is still very sick though you try hard to hide it.”

“The seeds have been very helpful,” she told him. “I can’t thank you enough for them.”

“But there is more going on than just the headaches,” Odo pressed. “I can see it in your eyes.”

Kahlan sighed deeply. “Yes, but I don’t think you can help. I’m not sure that anyone can help me.”

“If needed, we can call a gathering with our ancestors’ spirits,” he informed her. “They might be able to help find out what’s wrong with you.”

“Thank you, but I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she murmured, feeling Richard’s arm suddenly snake around her waist. 

“Let’s go get you cleaned up,” Richard said. “You should rest before the celebration tonight.”

“You look like you could use some cleaning up yourself,” she murmured in an attempt to lighten the mood, averting her gaze away from him. She was so ashamed of how she had just reacted. She didn’t know what had come over her.

“You scrub my back and I’ll scrub yours,” he whispered in her ear.

Kahlan shook her head in amusement as they began to follow Odo. “In your dreams, Seeker.”

“Both of our dreams will come true someday, Kahlan,” he told her. “I promise you that and the Seeker never breaks his promise.”

Following Kahlan, Richard couldn’t help the unease that had settled over him. Although seeming to be alright now, something was terribly wrong with his Confessor, something that he couldn’t begin to imagine and it terrified him to his very core.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 16

“Finally!” the Mord’Sith growled in exasperation. “I think the rift narrows some up ahead. I didn’t think we were ever going to find a way around this damn thing.”

“I have to agree,” the Wizard frowned. “I think this has to be the biggest one we’ve seen yet.”

“Richard and Kahlan have almost two days head start on us,” she huffed. “In another day, they’ll be through the valley already and we’ll be just heading into it.”

“If they haven’t been captured by the Aku,” he amended.

Cara suddenly stopped to turn to look behind her at the Wizard, a smirk playing on her lips. “You’re starting to sound just like me now.”

“Bags!” Zedd scowled with the realization. “I am!”

“It is true, though,” she replied, leaping over a narrower section of the rift and landing safely on the other side. “You don’t want to mess with the Aku.”

“Maybe they’re not as fierce as you remember them being,” Zedd suggested.

“It was quite a few years ago that the Mord’Sith had any contact with them,” Cara admitted. “Of course, they could’ve gotten worse too.”

“Well, let’s hope for the best,” Zedd said as he began to cross over the wide gap in the earth’s crust.

Rock suddenly began to crumble beneath his foot as he landed on the other side, quickly giving way and pulling him down with it. Cara turned around just in time to see the Wizard being dragged down into the rift.

“Zedd!” Cara cried, immediately lunging for him as he disappeared from sight. 

Lying prostrate on the ground, Cara breathed heavily, her eyes wide in shock and fixed on the spot where Zedd had just been standing. He was gone, there one moment and abruptly taken from their lives the next. How would Richard ever forgive her?

Tears suddenly welled in her eyes as she slowly crawled to the edge of the rift. Peering over the side, she was stunned to find Zedd several feet down hanging onto a rock by his fingertips, a nasty gash on his forehead.

“Well, are you going to stand there and stare at me or are you going to help me up?” he groused.

Cara shifted closer to the edge as she reached down to help the Wizard up. She growled under her breath, her fingers not quite reaching far enough to grab hold of him. She could feel the ground beneath her begin to shift subtly, threatening to give way on her too. 

Scooting a little further, she dug the toes of her boots into the dirt in a desperate attempt to keep from going over with him. Gritting her teeth, she bent over further, the rocks beneath her digging into her abdomen.

“Hurry!” Zedd yelled. “This rock is beginning to give way.”

“I’m…trying…” she ground out, shifting forward again. “It won’t do…either of us any good…if I go over with you. Can you reach up…for my hand?”

“I’ll try,” he breathed heavily. “We’ll only have one shot at this.” 

Releasing a hand, Zedd reached up towards the Mord’Sith bent over the edge of the rift and straining to reach him. Bits of dirt and rock began crumbling free, raining down on his face and getting into his eyes. His fingers began to slip from the rock he was desperately clinging to.

“Come on!” Cara growled at him.

Her fingertips brushed against his as she held her breath, straining towards him. She was stretched as far as she possibly could without being pulled over right along with him. Sweat beaded on her brow, her hair falling into her face as she stretched towards him.

“You’re almost there,” Zedd yelled. “Just…a little…bit…more…”

Their fingers finally touched then, wrapping securely around each other just as the rock suddenly gave way. She clenched her jaw against the pain that shot through her newly healed shoulder as Zedd dangled over the gapping abyss.

She felt as though her shoulder was about to rip apart, her being taken with him into the rift. Using his feet, Zedd began to climb up as Cara pulled back, dragging him out.

Falling back onto the ground with a grunt, Cara panted heavily, relieved that Zedd was alright for the most past. Her shoulder throbbed painfully, a warm wet feeling running over her skin and reminding her once more of the injury he had healed just a few hours ago.

“Thank you for saving me,” Zedd managed to get out as he fought to catch his breath, lying on the ground next to her.

“I had no choice,” Cara snapped as she sat up. “I couldn’t go back to Richard without his grandfather. He’d never forgive me.”

Zedd sat up then as well, a hearty chuckle spilling from his lips as he looked at the blond next to him. “You’re fond of me and you know it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied with a frown as she stood to her feet.

“There were tears in your eyes when you looked down over the edge of that rift,” he grinned broadly. “You thought that I was gone for good.”

“I had dirt in my eyes,” she bluntly said, avoiding making eye contact with him as she brushed her hands over her red leather. “And if you tell anyone otherwise I will personally introduce you to my agiels.”

Zedd nodded his head, doing his best to keep from smiling, but it was difficult with the annoyed scowl on her face or the heated glare that lit her eyes. If looks could shoot fiery daggers, he’d be dead ten times over right now. He didn’t care, though. He knew her heart even if she didn’t want to admit it.

Coming to stand in front of her, he laid a hand on her shoulder, his eyes misting with tears. “I care about you too, Cara,” he told her. Without waiting for a response either verbally or physically painful, he continued on. “Now, let me look at your shoulder again. I’m sure pulling me out of that rift didn’t help that newly healed wound none.”

Cara frowned at him, but her green eyes shined brightly revealing her affection for him. “You must not have done a good enough job the first time, Wizard” she quipped, pulling her leather aside to allow him to work again. “You have to repair your own work. You must be losing your edge.”

“Just pipe down and let me do my work,” he shot back, earning a small smirk from the Mord’Sith.

“And who is going to heal that cut on your forehead?”

“I guess I’ll be at your healing mercy,” Zedd muttered, his gaze narrowing as he worked.

“I could always use my agiel to close the wound,” she offered.

“Thank you for the offer, but I think I’ll pass.”

“You’re loss,” she shrugged.

“Hold still,” he grumbled. “You’re worse than Richard at holding still while I’m working.”

“I hope we catch up with them soon,” she frowned. “I just know they’re getting themselves into trouble.”

XXX

“You better not be peeking, Seeker.”

Richard couldn’t stop the grin that played on his face as he unlaced his pants. “I’m behaving,” he promised. “Remember, I told you I don’t want to see you without your clothes on until we make love for the first time.”

Kahlan smiled despite herself, his words creating a sweet warmth in the pit of her stomach. “You better get working on that before I’m old and wrinkled,” she softly chuckled. “I’d hate for you to be bitterly disappointed.”

“Kahlan, you could never disappointment me,” he firmly said. “Besides, I know that we can be together now without me being confessed. You just have to trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she sighed heavily as she slipped her clothes off. She paused to peer over the thick tall grass, hoping to catch a peek at her handsome Seeker. “I’m just…afraid.”

“I know you are, but you don’t have to be,” he told her. “You never have to be afraid when you’re with me.”

“I know,” she softly admitted, her eyes falling closed with the bitter battle being waged in her heart. She was so desperate to believe him and yet her fear over stealing his soul would not quiet.

Despite himself, Richard tilted his head back, glancing over the grasses that hid her perfect form from him. He couldn’t help but want to see her, wanting so desperately to be with her, touch and caress her, kiss every part of her from the crown of her head to the very tips of her toes.

A lilting chuckle drifted over the grasses and tickled his ears. “What’s so funny over there?” he asked.

“Just remembering the first time you caught you me without my clothes on,” she replied, a giggle still on her lips.

Richard couldn’t help but laugh as well. He had actually thought that he could lie his way out of that embarrassing incident. “I swear I didn’t see anything,” he chuckled.

“I thought I taught you never to lie to a Confessor?”

“It wasn’t exactly a lie,” he said, slipping off his boots. “Let’s just say that I didn’t see as much as I had wanted.”

Kahlan felt her cheeks grow warm with his words, remembering how badly she had wanted him to see all of her, recalling how just knowing that he had seen her had created such a nervous flutter in her stomach. Even then, she had begun to feel herself wanting him, anxious to share every part of herself with him.

The silence caused him to pause, wondering what she was thinking right at that moment. Had she too felt a powerful draw in that moment well over a year ago? Had she sensed his ever-growing desire for her even then?

Just as he was about to ask if she was alright, her sensual voice suddenly travelled on the warm breeze, causing his heart to skip a beat. “I know,” she softly said. “Even then, I wanted you to see more.”

“Someday soon, Kahlan,” he promised her. “I will prove my love is enough.”

Kahlan tried to swallow back her hammering heart, knowing it was useless when she was this close to him without clothes on. She decided to try to lighten the mood again, wanting to make things as normal between them as possible.

“You know, you’ve seen me three times now without my clothes on and I have yet to see you once,” she teased. “I’m not so sure that is fair.”

Richard’s laughter filled the air as well as her soul, lifting her spirits like nothing else ever could but him. He always managed to find the key to unlock the walls she had built around her heart, breaking down that barrier she had erected to hold him at bay.

“You can look at me all you want, Kahlan,” he said, his voice husky and suddenly closer than she had expected. “All you have to do is ask and I would give you anything you wanted.”

Turning in surprise, she softly gasped when she found him standing behind her, still hidden in the grass, but not nearly as far away as he had been. His back was turned to her, keeping his word that he wouldn’t invade her privacy. 

She knew his words to be true without even looking into his eyes. “I know that too,” she softly replied.

“You go first into the spring,” he told her. “I’ll come after once you’re in the water.”

Kahlan wanted more than anything to go to him, throw herself into his arms and make love with him. She wanted to feel him in the water with her, to be skin against skin and never let each other go. She knew this wasn’t a good idea, being this close without clothes on, but she wanted to be near him more than anything right now.

“Alright,” she agreed, making her way to the spring.

She dipped her toe in the water, the warmth of it just adding to the heated arousal that was already beginning to pump through her veins. She paused to look back over her shoulder, checking to make sure her Seeker wasn’t sneaking a glimpse of her.

He stood still in the tall grasses, his muscular form still partially concealed from her view. Even from what she had already seen when he took his shirt off, she knew that he was the absolute epitome of perfection in every way. It was as if the Creator herself had carved Richard’s body by her own hand, sculpting and shaping him into the amazing man that he was today.

She longed to run her fingers over that amazing body, her lips and tongue following the path that she would blaze over him. She wanted to learn, to know every single dip and valley of his muscles, what was most ticklish to him and what made him moan and gasp in pleasure.

“Kahlan?”

The sound of his voice broke the alluring hold that he held over her as she studied him. She quickly looked away, her attention back on the spring before her. Getting into the water, she dipped beneath the surface, allowing the warm liquid to swallow her whole.

Coming to the surface, she ran her hands back through her hair before responding. “Alright, you can come in now,” she called to him.

Stepping through the tall grasses, Richard could see Kahlan waiting for him, water coming almost up to her shoulders. Her dark hair was wet and clinging to her porcelain skin, droplets of water glistening like diamonds in the sunlight on her face.

He was disappointed to find that her eyes were closed as he drew near the water. He wanted so badly to be seen by her. The thought made his pulse race. He wanted to see her desire for him lighting her brilliant blue eyes, needed to see how much she wanted him too.

He knew she loved him, wanted to be with him, but he needed to see it in her now more than ever after everything they’d been through together. He needed to know that she was going to be alright, that she wasn’t going to push him away forever. He needed the reassurance of her love, the comfort that her embrace provided. She wasn’t the only one hurting.

Moving to the other side of the hot spring, he watched her for a long moment, his sadness and longing mingling inside threatening to overwhelm him. Spirits, he wanted her so badly right now.

“You can open your eyes, Kahlan,” he finally said, waiting until she met his stare before speaking again. “I thought you wanted to see me.”

Richard watched as a blush rose up from her chest to her cheeks as he held her gaze. Her lips parted slightly, a slow breath being released as she stared at him. He could see her mind fighting her heart, the inner struggle playing out across her face.

Unable to bear the distance between them, he slowly swam closer to her, his eyes darkening with the desire that was now blazing through him like liquid flames. He would not push her, but at the same time he was not about to give up on her either. He would never let her go.

Kahlan’s breath caught in her throat as she saw him drawing near, her body aching to feel him pressed against her, her mind screaming at her to run away. The intensity in his eyes, the passion that sent tingles up her spine.

“Kahlan,” he softly said, his voice so gentle despite the fire that burned in his chocolate orbs.

Her heart was suddenly racing beyond her control, her body tense as he drew near to her. The air practically crackled with the sexual tension that had erupted between them, drawing them together when she knew she should push him away. But she didn’t want to push him away any longer.

Richard could feel his arousal storming through him, the heat from her gaze only fueling his fire even more. She whispered his name, something between a desperate plea and a beseeching prayer and he nearly came apart right there. He needed to touch her, had to be near her. Nothing but her would ever do.

As desperately as he wanted to be with her, they still had unresolved tension between them, things that needed to be shared and talked about. When he finally made love to her, he didn’t want there to be anything between them – no secrets, no fears, no worries. Only their love for one another and nothing else.

Finally reaching her, Richard lightly ran his fingers along her hair, his eyes never leaving hers. He felt her tremble slightly as he caressed her cheek, the flush of her skin only enhancing her beauty if that was even possible.

Kahlan’s eyes fell closed, anxious to feel his hands, his mouth all over her body. “Richard…” she softly gasped, anticipating the moment his lips would be touching hers, devouring her with an intensity that would no doubt match her own.

She felt his fingers ghosting over her cheek, his breath pulsating so hotly against her skin that she could barely breathe. The world seemed to suddenly disappear around them, fading into a distant nothingness and leaving just them and the love that was like a fierce firestorm between them.

The peaceful expression that suddenly graced her face made it unbearable to go without kissing her any longer. His fingers slipped into her hair to grip the back of her neck, his lips seeking hers and finding paradise.

Their mutual moaning sigh was swallowed up as the kiss intensified. Kahlan immediately pressed her body against his, drawing him close and relishing the feel of his hardened form wrapping so protectively around her. His tongue was so hot, so greedy in her mouth as they kissed, her fingers tangling in his hair.

Richard forgot how to breathe with Kahlan’s body pressed against his, her breasts flattened against his chest. He grew lightheaded from the sheer pleasure raging inside of him and begging for release deep within her.

His hands instinctively slid down her sides to caress her thighs. She allowed him to lift her legs, wrapping them securely around his waist. He abruptly broke the kiss with a throaty gasp, his head falling against her shoulder with the feel of her hot center so close to his hardened length.

He knew that he couldn’t let this go any further. Kahlan wasn’t herself yet, hadn’t been since she woke the other day and it scared him to death. He needed her to be alright and she was far from it right now.

Richard ran his hands over her thighs, desperate to hold her hips firmly in his grasp and thrust deep inside of her where he so desperately wanted…needed to be. Kahlan suddenly buried her face in the crook of his neck, wrapping her arms tightly around him and clinging to him as if he was all that she had in the world. She broke down in heart-rending sobs that only served to further break his already hurting heart.

He tightened his hold on her, gently rubbing her back as passionate longing gave way to his anguish and fear for her. “Hey, it’s alright,” he murmured, turning to press his lips against her head.

“Something’s wrong with me, Richard,” she wept.

“I know, Kahlan…I know,” he whispered, fighting back his own rising tears. “I swear on my life I won’t stop until we find out what’s happening to you, Kahlan.”

Richard held her close as she cried, knowing that she was slipping away from him and he had no clue how to keep it from happening. All he knew was that he loved her and would not survive apart from the woman in his arms.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 17

Temin and Hadi waited on the outskirts of the village as the Seeker and Mother Confessor bathed in the secret hot springs. They had been ordered by Tolla Nakunam to stand guard there to make sure they were not disturbed or in case their honored guests needed anything. They had grudgingly accepted their newest duty with great grumbling, Hadi hoping to be able to come up with a plan to rid the village of them once and for all.

“I still think you should sneak in there and steal his sword,” Hadi told him, leaning on his spear. “It’s the most magnificent sword I have ever seen.”

“I’m not going to steal the Seeker’s sword, Hadi,” Temin grunted in frustration. “They are heroes now. If they find me with his sword, Tolla will have my head removed.”

Hadi spit on the ground before tucking another leaf between his lip and gum. “There has to be a way to get it without anyone finding out.”

“Just let it go, Hadi. It’s over,” Temin scowled. “You get yourself all worked up about things that don’t really matter anyway.”

“I just think you should have what is rightfully yours,” Hadi shrugged. “You saw it first. It should belong to you now.”

Temin ignored his friend, his eyes fixed on the tall grasses stretching out before them, the rocky formation just beyond it that created a natural protective barrier to their village. The Seeker and Mother Confessor had been in the hot springs for a long time now. He was beginning to wonder what was taking them so long, but was not about to go find out. He didn’t want to end up confessed or the witch’s mate.

Hadi cast him a long hard glare. “You’re getting soft just like Tolla and Mitta, aren’t you?”

“No, of course not,” Temin scoffed as if his friend had lost his mind. “I’m just thinking that maybe they might be right about the Seeker and Mother Confessor. Maybe they aren’t out to hurt us like you think they are. They did save the Tolla’s children.”

“It was just a trick to get us to trust them,” Hadi sneered, hatred dripping from his every word.

“What do you have against them? They never did anything to you.”

“The Seeker humiliated me by taking my spear and breaking it,” he spat out. “And the Confessor…she needs to be stopped. She’s too dangerous to be allowed to live.”

Temin stared at him for a long moment, taken aback by what he was hearing. He couldn’t believe the hatred that his friend possessed. It was beginning to frighten him. He watched as Hadi stuffed another leaf in his mouth, his dark glowering expression making him feel uneasy.

“You shouldn’t chew on those leaves all the time,” Temin commented.

Hadi shrugged again. “It relaxes me.”

Temin frowned at his friend. “It’s poison.”

“You’re changing the subject, Temin.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he replied. “I think it’s foolish to oppose the Council of Elders and even more foolish to try to go up against the Seeker and Mother Confessor. They’re dangerous, Hadi.”

“So you’re willing to just sit back and let them destroy our village, take our men as the witch’s slaves?”

“She’s already mated with the Seeker,” Temin reminded him.

“You’re starting to sound just like Pasha,” he spat out.

“It’s not just Pasha,” he snapped. “Others in the village believe it to be so too. Besides, why do you think they’ve been in the hot springs for so long? They’re not just getting cleaned up down there.”

Hadi scowled at his friend. “That still doesn’t mean that she won’t take another mate.”

“You really think the Seeker will allow her to be with another man?” he questioned him. “I think he would kill anyone who even tried to touch her.”

“And I will kill him before he even has a chance to touch me.”

“Hadi,” Temin rolled his eyes. “He disarmed you in less than a heartbeat. I don’t think you can possibly kill him.”

“He just caught me off guard,” Hadi sneered at the reminder. “He won’t be so lucky the next time.”

The sound of approaching voices cut their conversation short, both immediately standing at attention, their spears at the ready as the Seeker and Mother Confessor suddenly came into view. The Mother Confessor’s eyes were red from crying, exhaustion encompassing her. The Seeker following close behind her didn’t appear much better. He looked tired, fear clouding his eyes as he watched her every move.

“Thank you for allowing us to get cleaned up,” Kahlan said as they approached the Aku warriors. 

Richard came to a stop beside her, automatically slipping a protective arm around her waist, needing to touch her for his own reassurance and sanity. “Sorry we kept you waiting so long. I’m afraid Kahlan isn’t feeling well.”

“That is fine,” Temin quickly replied before Hadi could make some cutting remark. “Do we need to get Odo?”

“No, I’ll be alright,” Kahlan quickly interjected.

“Kahlan,” Richard frowned as he turned to look at her, noticing again how much worse she looked, the exhaustion that clung to her, the anguish that gripped her. 

He had held her in the water as she cried, comforting and soothing her as best he could, but he couldn’t shake the horrible fear that continually crept into his heart. Something dreadful was happening to his Confessor.

“I think that I’ll feel better once I’ve had a chance to rest,” she attempted to reassure him, doing her best to hide the pain that gripped her, the fear that possessed her heart.

Richard drew a deep breath as he thought for a moment. “Alright,” he relented. “We can send for Odo later if needed.”

Following the two Aku warriors back to the Spirit House, Richard wasn’t at all convinced that rest was all that Kahlan needed. He knew she was exhausted and needed to sleep, but something darker, more sinister was at work here and he was going to get to the bottom of it one way or another.

He feared that Darken Rahl had somehow gotten a hold of her, had cast another spell on her before Demos brought her back to life. He needed Zedd now more than ever, but he had no idea if he and Cara had even found a way around the rift yet. Odo would have to do for now until his grandfather caught up with them.

Making their way through the village, Richard suddenly stopped when he spotted the healer. “Go ahead, Kahlan,” he told her. “I want to talk to Odo for a moment.”

“Richard,” she sighed. “I just really need to sleep. I promise I’ll be better.”

“I know you do,” he gently said, tucking a lock of wet hair behind her ear. “But I just want to ask him a question. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Kahlan finally nodded her head in resignation, turning back to follow Temin and Hadi. She didn’t want him to worry so much, but if truth be told, she was scared too. Something was going on with her more than just fatigue although that was a large part of it.

She was still so ashamed of how she had reacted after the fire, almost attacking Nakunam’s wife. She wouldn’t be surprised if the poor woman avoided her the rest of their time here. She had practically accused the woman of starting the fire herself, of putting her own children’s lives in danger.

She didn’t know why she had reacted like that except that she had been so consumed with rage at that moment. Those children…Richard…could have died in there if they hadn’t gotten out in time. It was inexcusable.

“Just let go…”

Kahlan suddenly stopped to look around her, unsure of who had spoken to her. Temin and Hadi stopped as well, looking around them to see what had caught the Mother Confessor’s attention.

“What is it?’ Temin asked, confused as he scanned their surroundings for signs of trouble.

Kahlan’s brow creased, uncertainty filling her. “Nothing,” she absentmindedly replied before turning to follow them again.

“Come to me, Kahlan…”

Kahlan stopped again, perplexed by the voice. Except that it wasn’t really something that she heard, not like a voice in her head or someone calling out to her. It was more like a haunting feeling within her, something pulling inside of her like an invisible thread being tugged by an unseen hand. 

She felt a sudden overwhelming desire to go to the People’s Palace, but couldn’t understand why. She couldn’t imagine why she would want to go there. There was nothing there for her, nothing that she needed or wanted. The only thing there was evil in the living breathing form of Richard’s half-brother.

“Mother Confessor?” Temin called to her again.

“I just thought I heard someone say my name,” she murmured, scanning the area again before turning to follow them.

She rubbed her forehead, fatigue pulling heavily on her body as she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She just wanted to sleep now, to wake up to find Richard holding her close and that everything would be alright again.

\----------

“Odo,” Richard called as he neared.

“Seeker Richard,” Odo beamed widely in greeting at the man walking towards him. “How is Confessor Kahlan doing?”

“Not well,” Richard admitted, his heart in his throat.

“I will come at once to the Spirit House to see her,” Odo replied. “Let me get my things.”

“She’s actually going back to rest right now,” Richard told him. “I’m really worried about her. Something is very wrong with her, Odo, and I don’t know what to do for her. I’m afraid I’m losing her.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. “What do you think is wrong with her?”

“I don’t know, but she’s not herself,” he shook his head in frustration. “Kahlan would not threaten the Council of Elders with confession like she did unless provoked. She wouldn’t lash out at Tolla Nakunam’s wife like she did after the fire. And these headaches…Spirits, they’re coming more frequently, getting worse.”

“I agree,” Odo nodded his head.

“What?” Richard asked, startled by the healer’s ready agreement.

“I could tell that her spirit was very sick, far sicker than I had first thought when I saw her right after you rescued the children from the fire,” he admitted. “I’m afraid it may be more than I am able to help heal. I had hoped if we could lessen her pain and she could rest that things would improve for her.”

“Do you have any idea of what we can do for her?”

Odo tapped his finger against his lips. “I had mentioned to Confessor Kahlan earlier that we could call a gathering with our ancestors’ spirits to see what they might know.”

“And what did she say?”

“She didn’t seem too in favor of it, but maybe she’ll change her mind now that the headaches are getting worse.”

Richard raked his fingers back through his wet hair, his frustration and fear playing out on his face. “Let me talk to her about it,” he suggested. “I know I can get her to agree to it. Will it take long to put a gathering together?”

“No, not long at all,” Odo shook his head. “We would just need the two of you and the Council of Elders.”

“Do you think we could do it tomorrow?”

“I believe so,” he nodded. “Let me discuss with Mitta and the Council. We’ve never done one for outsiders, but after what you did to save Tolla’s children; I don’t see why they wouldn’t agree to one.”

“I believe there’s dark magic involved,” Richard told him, his voice almost haunting. “It won’t be dangerous to any of you will it?”

Odo pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. “Shouldn’t be,” he finally replied. “We would just be contacting our ancestors’ spirits for their help, not necessarily doing anything with dark magic.”

“Alright then, tomorrow it is,” he sighed heavily. “I can’t thank you enough, Odo.”

“No thanks is necessary, Seeker Richard,” Odo smiled brightly. 

“I’m terrified about what could be happening to her. I feel so helpless watching her suffer like this, knowing that something is wrong with her and not being able to do anything about it.”

Odo clasped Richard’s shoulder tightly. “No worries; we are glad to help you both. It is obvious that you and your mate are deeply in love. We will do what we can to keep you together.”

“Kahlan isn’t my mate,” Richard shook his head. “I love her with all my heart and hope to marry her someday, but unfortunately all of that has to wait for now.”

“Because of these rifts?”

“Yes…among other things,” he sadly said, the heaviness of his heart reflected in his eyes. “Someday, Kahlan will be my mate, my wife.”

“And what about her magic? How will you be able to be with her without being confessed?”

“I’ve finally found a way around her magic without being confessed,” a small smile brightening the Seeker’s face, causing him to flush inside with the thought of being with her someday soon. He wasn’t about to discuss it with the healer, though.

Their love was the one thing in the world that he was going to be selfish with. He wasn’t about to share what they had together with anyone. The world, their titles, destiny already took so much from them as it was. The love they shared for one another would remain theirs and theirs alone, something sacred and private just for them.

“I wish you all the best, Seeker Richard,” the healer replied. “I know that if anyone will be mated to Confessor Kahlan it will be you.”

“Thank you, Odo,” he softly said. “I hope you’re right.”

“Come, let’s go talk to Mitta about the gathering for tomorrow,” Odo suggested, placing his arm around the Seeker’s shoulders to lead him towards the gathering hut.

Casting a glance over his shoulder, Richard couldn’t help but worry about Kahlan. He hated to leave her alone any longer than necessary with as bad as things were becoming for her, but he needed to see what the Aku could possibly do to help him find the answers he so desperately needed.

XXX

Mistress Lucinda ran her fingers over the agiel hanging at her hip, the thrum of magical pain it produced radiating up her arm and making her feel like shoulder would explode. Her jealous anger was burning through her just as powerfully as the agiel.

Demos would be taking another untouched girl to his bed tonight, one who resembled the Mother Confessor. It caused white-hot jealousy to roll like violent waves through her. She would not be sharing her Lord Rahl with Kahlan Amnell no matter how badly he wanted her or how obsessed he became with her.

The Mother Confessor wasn’t worthy of him and certainly didn’t deserve to know his touch or the incredible pleasure he was capable of giving her. The thought of that whore even touching him made her blood hot with anger.

She felt her throat suddenly grow dry with the thought of where her Lord Rahl’s hands, his mouth had been last night. She still bore his marks on her body just as he bore hers. A smug grin tugged at her lips. No other Mord’Sith bore those marks but her…and she was going to make certain it stayed that way.

Watching him now, Lucinda let her eyes slide hungrily over his body as he stood in the center of the room beneath the stained glass window overhead. His head was tilted slightly back, his eyes closed in deep meditative concentration, his hands raised into the air on either side of his head.

He had slipped off his robe, leaving him in his sleeveless dark red tunic and breeches. She longed to rip his clothes off of him just like he had torn her red leather from her body last night. She wanted to feel every bit of the dark animalistic lust that lived within him, battling with her for control only to have him surrender to her every time.

Sometimes their sessions together were like that, an endless battle to see who would surrender first. Sometimes she would give in just to allow him to dominate her; most times though she was the one to dominate, breaking and punishing him until he was left nothing more than a whimpering quivering mess, barely conscious and unable to speak for hours after.

And then she would hold him close, soothing him and stroking his damp hair, treating the wounds that she had caused. It was times like those that she loved the most when he was suddenly so vulnerable, allowing her to take care of him, to see him so broken. She felt closest to him at those moments, knowing she was the only one allowed to see him like that.

It made her wonder about what his childhood had been like, what his adoptive mother had possibly done to him that had caused him to be the way that he was. He never talked about his childhood, though; never divulging anything about what his life had been like before assuming the throne of D’Hara.

Stroking her mahogany braid, Lucinda allowed her eyes to drift over his legs. She loved the power in them especially when he took her with such aggression and force that it left her numb with amazing pleasure the likes of which she’d never known before him, her body trembling and weak.

She slowly ran her tongue along her lip as she took in his muscular arms, the bite marks and scratches she had created still marring his skin. She knew every single place she had made her mark on his perfect body, even those hidden now beneath the clothes that he wore.

She bit her bottom lip, recalling how her agiel had added to their building pleasure, bringing them a release that temporarily blinded them both with its sheer intensity. She longed for that again. She wanted him now.

A deep rolling chuckle suddenly escaped his lips pulling her from her aroused thoughts. His eyes were still closed, but there was a large smile splitting his face. She wished she was the reason for that smile, but it wasn’t. It was Kahlan Amnell.

“This is better than I could have ever imagined,” he murmured more to himself than her. “My bond with Kahlan is stronger now than it was just this morning. I can read her thoughts at times, feel what she’s feeling. Soon, she’ll be completely mine in every way. Nothing will be able to break us apart.”

The Mord’Sith bristled with his words, hating this connection he now had with her. She swore to herself that she would do everything in her power to break it one way or another. If it meant destroying the Mother Confessor then she would not hesitate to do it.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 18

She slowly ran her hands over the dress she wore, still trying to wrap her mind around everything. Tolla Nakunam and his wife Caref had come to the Spirit House with gifts for her and Richard for saving their daughters.

Kahlan had apologized over and over again for becoming so upset with her after saving their daughters, but the woman had graciously refused her apologies, telling her it was alright. She knew that the Mother Confessor had been unwell and was just relieved that no one had been hurt. She had given Kahlan a dress in gratitude for rescuing her daughters while Tolla Nakunam had stolen Richard away to spirits knew where.

Looking down at herself now, she didn’t think she’d ever seen a more beautiful dress. It was a stunning shade of blue, simple in its design and fit perfectly as if it had been made just for her. 

She fought back tears as she caressed the soft material between her fingers, still stunned by the generous gift. People didn’t give gifts to Confessors, their fear keeping them from ever coming too close to them. Despite how badly she had reacted, Caref had reached out to her…a Confessor.

She suddenly found herself anxious for Richard to see her in it. She always loved the way that he looked at her; the way the warm chestnut brown of his eyes would grow so dark with desire for her that it would steal the breath from her lungs.

Richard always made her feel so beautiful , so desirable and wanted. She feared if he knew the things that Darken Rahl had done to her, the way that he had touched her that he’d no longer look at her the same way ever again. She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t lose him, couldn’t live without him even though she knew that she needed to let him go so he could have the life that he deserved, the family that she knew he wanted.

But how could survive without him?

She knew in her heart she couldn’t. A life without him was unimaginable, causing more tears to surface. She gasped softly in an attempt to swallow back the sob that caught in her throat. Spirits, she just loved him so very much.

She began to let herself dream about being with him, wondering if he might be right. Could his love for her be so powerful, so unconditional that he would be protected from her magic?

The thought alone gave her hurting heart wings, her need for him awakening within her once more. It was always there just beneath the surface, ready to flare and sear through her veins with something as simple as a touch or a glance, a smile or even just the sound of her name on his lips.

“Confessor Kahlan,” a voice suddenly caught her attention, causing her to flush at where her thoughts had taken her.

She quickly exited the small room in Nakunam and Caref’s temporary home. “How do I look?” she asked.

Caref’s eyes widened with surprise. “You look so beautiful, Confessor Kahlan,” she gasped. “Your mate will love you even more in it.”

Kahlan quickly shook her head. “He…Richard…he isn’t…my…mate,” she stammered, her cheeks warm with the idea.

Caref seemed to not hear what she was saying as she began to fuss with the dress, making sure it fit her properly. “Yes, he will indeed love you in it. He won’t be able to take his eyes off of you…or his hands.”

Kahlan’s eyes fell closed, swallowing back her heart. She wanted Richard’s hands on her body more than anything in this world. She wanted to give him what he so badly wanted, what they both wanted, but she couldn’t without taking his soul.

“Confessor Kahlan?” Caref said. “You’re crying. Are you alright? Do you need Odo?”

“No, I’m sorry,” she quickly murmured, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I’m still not feeling quite myself yet.”

“It’ll be alright, my dear,” Caref patted her arm. “You will enjoy the feast tonight and then you can be alone with your mate. You’ll feel much better then.”

Kahlan sighed heavily, wishing so badly that she was right, but she knew that something was wrong with her, something dark trying to take over. She couldn’t let it. She would fight it with everything that she had. She had to for Richard.

“Where did Tolla take Richard?” she asked, suddenly realizing that they weren’t anywhere in sight.

“The men always prepare for the feast separate from the women so we can have time to look beautiful for our mates.”

Kahlan smiled shyly, wanting to find Richard soon. Her heart was beginning to beat a little faster, a little harder just thinking about him, the need for him growing stronger. Her head kept telling her she couldn’t, but her heart kept telling her it was right…that Richard was right about his love for her.

A flutter of butterfly wings erupted in the pit of her stomach as she began to follow Caref from the hut. Walking outside into the warm light of the setting sun, Kahlan suddenly noticed that Caref was wearing a brightly colored dress, her hair done up for the special occasion. 

She subconsciously began playing with a lock of her own hair, wishing now that she had done something different with her hair too. Maybe Richard would prefer it different, pulled up at the sides or pulled back and gathered low at her neck.

She didn’t know why she suddenly felt so nervous as she followed the flow of women heading towards the center of the village. She felt so awkward and out of place. She’d never worn a dress quite like this nor had Richard ever seen her in anything other than her white Confessor’s dress or her travelling clothes. Maybe he wouldn’t like it.

Kahlan felt her heart sink with the thought. He deserved so much more than she could ever give him. He deserved nothing but the absolute best and she was so far from it. She was nothing but a danger to him.

Entering the large clearing, Kahlan immediately began scanning the crowd of Aku, searching for the one who had stolen her heart. Men and women danced to the beat of drums, torches lit all around the outskirts casting a golden glow over everything.

She nervously began to chew on her bottom lip, considering returning to the Spirit House if she didn’t find Richard soon.

\----------

Richard followed Tolla Nakunam, anxiously trying to look past him at the clearing. Sounds from the feast drifted on the evening breeze and tickled his ears. He was growing more than restless to find Kahlan. He didn’t like being separated from her for too long especially knowing she wasn’t feeling well.

He felt a small measure of peace knowing that they would have a gathering tomorrow to get to the bottom of what was wrong with her. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to her about it yet, though.

By the time he had returned to the Spirit House this afternoon, Kahlan was already asleep, the nightmares returning in full force again soon after his return. He had managed to soothe her through it without her actually waking, but it was killing him having to watch her struggle like this.

Reaching the clearing, Richard looked down at his attire, feeling a little uncomfortable with what he was wearing…or how little he was wearing. Tolla was dressed just like him as were all the other men he found there, but he still felt self-conscious.

He immediately began searching the gathering crowd mingling and dancing, eating and laughing. He was growing desperate to find Kahlan, needing to see her, hold her. When she wasn’t with him, he didn’t feel right, his life suddenly incomplete in every way.

“This really wasn’t necessary, Tolla,” Richard said, following him through the throngs of Aku.

“I’m afraid it’s not nearly enough,” he replied with a frown. “You saved my daughters. There is not enough that can be done for something like that.”

“I just appreciate the Council’s willingness to hold a gathering tomorrow for Kahlan,” Richard said, the tone of his voice conveying the heaviness of his heart.

“You and the Mother Confessor are now friends of the Aku,” Tolla told him. “We do anything to help our friends.”

Richard came to an abrupt stop when his eyes fell on a breathtaking woman with raven hair wearing a blue dress. His heart stopped at the sight of his beautiful Confessor, the way she was biting her bottom lip immediately setting his heart to pounding. He was dying to kiss and nip at those sweet lips, to get his hands on her and never let her go.

Tolla grinned when he noticed who Richard was staring at, pleased that he liked what he saw. “Have a good time, my friend,” Tolla clapped him on the back. “I’m going to find my mate.”

Richard could only nod his head in response, his entire body completely lost to her now. He slowly began to make his way to her, the people around him disappearing in the wake of her captivating presence. To him, no one else existed at that moment.

He swallowed past the nervousness that suddenly filled him, his heart hammering wildly in his chest as he drew near her. He could not get close to her fast enough, the site of her in that dress driving him absolutely wild.

The color of the material perfectly matched her striking blue eyes, making them even brighter if that was even possible. It was strapless, wrapping around her body as if it had been specifically made for her. It stopped a couple of inches above her knees, allowing him a generous view of her long legs.

Richard found himself wishing they were alone in the Spirit House right now, but knew they couldn’t offend their hosts by leaving already. The feast was in their honor and they couldn’t escape no matter how desperately he wanted to be alone with her.

Kahlan suddenly looked up then, their eyes meeting in that electric moment, her breath catching as she watched her handsome Seeker drawing near. She wasn’t sure if it was the way that he was dressed or the heated look of desire that danced like flames in his eyes that aroused her the most.

She felt such an intense sudden draw to him, a need to be touched and loved by him. She could see by the look on his face that he was feeling the same way about her and it made her pulse race in sweet anticipation.

“Kahlan,” he softly breathed her name as he drew near. It was all he could manage at that point as he came to a stop directly in front her.

Giving him her special smile, Kahlan allowed her eyes to roam over his bronzed skin, his perfectly contoured body, the way his tooth pendant laid cradled in the valley of his muscles. His chest was bear for her to admire, to touch. He wore a decorative piece of material that wrapped around his waist and tied at his hip, coming to a stop above his knees. His sword hung protectively at his other hip, always ready to defend and protect.

She ached to touch him, to run her hands and mouth all over his flawless body, not even the mark of the Keeper could detract from his perfection. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, her breaths coming a little faster as he just stared at her, drinking her in.

He loved how she looked at him, obviously admiring and liking what she was seeing. It made his need for her pump hotly through his veins, his body tensing against the overwhelming urge to just grab her and kiss her the way that he was aching to.

“You look very handsome,” she finally said, doing her best to still her racing heart, but the way he was staring at her was setting her body aflame with desire.

He gave her a lopsided grin that did nothing to calm the anxious fluttering she felt inside. “You really think the skirt is me?” he asked as he glanced down at himself.

“Most definitely,” she lightly chuckled. “It’s very befitting of the mighty Seeker.”

Richard chuckled as well, but suddenly grew serious, his eyes not losing one ounce of the heated longing that had been simmering there when he had first approached her. “Kahlan, you look…very beautiful,” he finally managed to get out.

He watched as she shyly dipped her head, a smile playing on her lips as she looked up at him through her long eyelashes. “Thank you,” she softly replied, her raven locks falling over one bare shoulder.

He found himself completely entranced by her, unable to take his eyes away from her. He had always thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, but somehow she had just managed to become even more breathtaking to him.

Gazing into her eyes, Richard could tell that the headache was still lingering there beneath the surface, but thankfully it didn’t appear to be as intense as it had been. He just hoped the gathering tomorrow would be able to unlock the mystery as to why she was having them at all. While anxious to get to the bottom of what was happening to her, he was terrified of what they might find out.

Fighting back the overwhelming urge to kiss her, he lightly ran his fingers down her bare arm until he met her hand, taking it in his. Turning it, he noticed that the mark on her forearm wasn’t as pronounced as it had been when they had been at the hot springs earlier in the day.

“I think the mark on your arm looks a little better,” he absentmindedly said as he lifted her arm to exam it by the torch light.

It wasn’t quite as red as it had been this afternoon, the swelling going down some. It was still an unusual pattern that left him feeling more than a little unsettled. He couldn’t help but feel that it was somehow connected to everything that was happening to his Confessor.

“It doesn’t hurt as much as it did before,” she offered, hoping to soothe his worry.

“I’m glad,” he replied, meeting her eyes once more. “Hopefully, it means that you’ll be feeling better soon.”

Kahlan softly smiled in response, loving the feel of his hand holding hers. It never ceased to bring her such utter peace to her soul. “Would you like to get something to eat?” she finally asked, forcing herself to look away from his eyes.

“That sounds good. I’m starving,” he agreed, keeping hold of her hand as he began to lead her through the crowded clearing.

Following him, Kahlan couldn’t take her eyes off of his sculpted body, the way his muscles flexed with his movements, the smoothness of his tanned skin that seemed to glow in the torch light. She wanted to remove the material that separated him from her, desperate to at last quell the never-ending fire that lived deep within her core for him if but for only a moment.

Richard couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he guided her towards where the food waited for them. Kahlan seemed more like herself tonight, giving him hope that she was finally feeling better. He couldn’t help but feel her eyes on him from behind; devouring him and making him flush inside with want for her.

He didn’t know how he was going to make it through the next few hours let alone the next few minutes without taking her away from here just so he could make love to her. She looked so positively stunning tonight he didn’t know how he was going to be able to keep his mind off of her or keep his thoughts from wandering down that lustful path he longed to travel with her.

Richard smiled and nodded to those he passed by, everyone greeting them and thanking them for what they had done. Approaching the long table of food, he couldn’t help but notice Hadi standing off to the side along the dark shadowy ridge that lined the clearing. He had his spear in hand and a dark scowl on his face. His hatred for them was unmistakable, his thoughts not hard to read. 

The Seeker’s raptor gaze met the Aku warrior’s glowering stare, silently letting him know in no uncertain terms that he would do whatever it took to protect Kahlan. Hadi spat on the ground before turning his furious glare onto the Mother Confessor.

Kahlan didn’t shy away from the challenge, meeting his heated stare and matching it with one of her own. She was not about to be intimidated by this man who obviously held great disdain for them. 

Releasing Richard’s hand, she immediately made her way to him, taking both the Seeker and Hadi by surprise. The warrior instantly stiffened as she approached, lifting his head up high and thrusting his chest out. Richard quickly followed her, wanting to make sure she didn’t lose control again like she had before.

Kahlan came to a stop before him, her face hard, her eyes fearless. “What do you have against us?” she pointedly asked him.

Stunned, Hadi did his best to hide his surprise. “I don’t have anything against you or the Seeker,” he lied, doing his best to avoid her penetrating gaze.

“You lie,” she firmly stated. “I’m a Confessor. I can read people’s face and I know when someone is lying.”

Hadi’s face darkened with rage, angered by her accusation. “Fine…you want to know what I have against you? You don’t belong here. You should’ve been killed on sight not brought into our village and treated like honored guests.”

“We mean you no harm,” Richard said from beside Kahlan. “We are only passing through.”

“You say that and yet you carry that deadly sword,” Hadi shot back. “And you travel with a witch who could steal our souls.”

“Kahlan is not a witch,” Richard ground out in anger. He hated how Kahlan was regarded by others as less than human, their view of her tainted by fear. “If she had wanted to confess you, you all would’ve been confessed long before now.”

“Maybe I should just go ahead and start with you,” she said, her eyes gleaming as she reached out her hand towards his throat. “I’ve never confessed an Aku. Would you like to be my first?”

Hadi immediately took a step back, raising his spear crosswise to keep her from touching him. “Stay away from me, witch,” he hissed as he stared at her hand inching closer to his throat. “I will kill you.”

“I’d like to see you try,” she snapped, her fury rising.

Richard grabbed her wrist, pulling her arm back. “We would like you to believe us, Hadi,” he calmly told the warrior. “We have no intention of hurting your people.”

“I’ll believe it only after you’re both dead,” he spat out, turning his back and quickly disappearing into the night.

“What’s going on?”

Richard and Kahlan turned to find Tolla Nakunam coming up behind them, worry lining his face. “Nothing,” Richard quickly said. “Just talking to Hadi.”

“He doesn’t like us much,” Kahlan told him.

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks,” Tolla frowned. “He is not the Council. They have made their decision about you and he will abide by it or be forced to face me.”

Richard wrapped his arm around Kahlan’s waist, drawing her close. “No harm done,” he replied. “Let’s go enjoy the feast.”

Tolla nodded, his smile returning. “Come, I want you to try some of Caref’s cooking. She’s the best in the village.”

Following Tolla, Richard leaned down to whisper in Kahlan’s ear, worry tugging heavily on his heart once more. “You weren’t really going to confess him, were you?”

Kahlan looked at him, her blue eyes still dark with anger. “What do you think?” she smirked something dark.

Richard felt a shiver suddenly race up his spine, realizing he had just averted a near catastrophe. He was beginning to think that maybe Kahlan wasn’t getting better after all.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 19

Richard and Kahlan sat with Tolla Nakunam and Caref as well as Mitta and some of the Council members watching as the festivities played out before them. Drums continued to play as Aku danced to the rumbling sounds, the excitement of the feast never diminishing not even for a moment.

Richard found it near impossible to keep his eyes off of his beautiful Confessor seated next to him. Wearing the blue dress that Caref had given her, Kahlan was making it very difficult for him to remember how to even breathe. His mind was in a constant race of arousing thoughts, his body thrumming with anticipation of someday making love to her.

He watched as a smile lit Kahlan’s face, something that Caref had said amusing her. Her face seemed to glow, her eyes sparkling again for the first time in what felt to him like an eternity. It had been so long since he had seen her happy like this, the beautiful light returning to her eyes again. He just hoped it would last.

He couldn’t bear to see her so sad, so broken inside. It hurt him even more that she wouldn’t let him in, refusing to allow him to help her. The heartache he felt inside was like being held beneath the water, unable to catch his breath sometimes, wondering how he would survive the next moment.

Just then, Kahlan turned to look at him, meeting his gaze and gracing him with that smile that lit a fire so fierce within he swore he should be consumed. He smiled back, allowing his eyes to tell her how much he loved her, wanted her right now.

His smiled widened as a blush rose to her cheeks, her eyes momentarily falling away from his. She had known immediately what he was thinking, had read his thoughts and it warmed him clear to his soul.

Suddenly, the beat of the drums changed, Caref’s face lighting up. “It’s time to dance, Confessor Kahlan,” she excitedly announced, leaping to her feet and grabbing Kahlan’s hand.

“Oh no…I don’t...” Kahlan shook her head as she was pulled to her feet.

“You must dance for your mate!” Caref squealed in delight. “He will love it!”

Eyes wide, Kahlan immediately looked back to Richard for help, but she could tell by the mischievous grin on his face he was not about to come to her rescue. His eyes were dancing with amusement as well as excitement at the prospect of her dancing for him.

“Yes, Kahlan,” Richard grinned. “Dance for your mate.”

“Richard Cypher,” she growled, earning a chuckle from her Seeker as she was dragged away with the other Aku women.

Tolla Nakunam clapped him on the back with a broad smile. “You will definitely enjoy this, my friend,” he said.

“I have no doubts,” the Seeker softly murmured, his eyes locked solely on his Confessor.

“Caref, I don’t know how to dance,” Kahlan tried again as the woman pulled her along with her.

“It’s very easy; just follow what I do,” Caref replied. “You Seeker Richard will love it. Many babies are made because of this dance.”

Kahlan was sure her face was bright red by now as she stood between Caref and another Aku woman. “But I…” she began, her eyes suddenly finding Richard staring at her. The intensity in his eyes, the longing she saw in those warm depths made her knees weak.

Before she knew it, she was moving with the other women, doing her best to follow the slow sensual movements that felt so foreign to her. She felt so clumsy and not the least bit alluring as she slowly began to feel the flow of the dance.

Releasing a calming breath, Kahlan forced herself to relax and enjoy the excitement that vibrated through the warm evening air. Soon, she felt her body moving, dipping and turning in time with the tribal beat, her eyes searching out her Seeker once more.

Once their eyes met again, she never lost the connection as she continued to dance for him. She smiled softly at him, the look of heated lust filling his gaze causing her heart to hammer even harder beneath her breast. She slowly ran her hands over her body, imitating Caref as she danced for Tolla Nakunam. 

Her head was beginning to spin with the fierce desire that was coursing through her now, the way that Richard was staring at her heating her straight to her core. The aching void within her longed for him to fill her, take her and make her his. 

Richard couldn’t have taken his eyes off of her even he had wanted to. Kahlan had so completely captivated him, enticing him with her beauty and the erotic way she moved just for him. His throat was suddenly a desert as she began to dance closer to him, allowing him to fully enjoy what she was doing for him.

His hungry gaze roamed over her long legs, over the curve of her hips, up to her breasts, along the slender column of her neck. Her dark hair fell over her bare shoulders, caressing the tops of her breasts the dress left exposed for him to admire. He longed to run his fingers through her hair, to remove that dress from her body and have her the way he did every night in his dreams.

His breath hitched, her eyes the darkest shade of blue that he had ever seen as she stared at him. His heart was thundering so forcefully against his chest now he thought for sure that it would burst. He wanted her so desperately he didn’t think he could survive another moment without having her, without feeling her beneath him, taking him inside her and surrounding him in her heat.

“Kahlan…”

The aching breathless plea of her name on his lips nearly did her in, but she kept moving, dancing for the man who held her heart. She watched as his lips parted, his chest rising and falling a little faster. It thrilled her to know that he was enjoying what he was seeing, that he found her to be so exciting to him. She had never felt more free, more alive than she did at that moment. She wanted him to grab her and claim her as his, to carry her back to the Spirit House and make love to her all night long.

She wanted to forget about everything that was happening to them, to erase the horrifying memories of what Darken Rahl had done to her. She wanted to forget the headaches, the hurt and the guilt that continually filled her heart.

Unable to wait any longer, Richard swiftly stood to his feet, one hand suddenly sliding into her hair, the other roughly gripping her hip as he pulled her to him, his lips capturing hers with a hunger so demanding it took the air from her lungs. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself against him as her tongue begged for entrance.

After a long moment of losing themselves in the passionate kiss, they pulled back, suddenly remembering where they were at. They quickly looked around to find that no one was paying any attention to them as women paired off with their mates and began to disappear into their huts, Tolla and Caref long gone.

“I guess the party is over,” he softly said, his breath ragged and hot against her face.

“I guess so,” she murmured, her arms draped around his neck.

Richard stared into her eyes, the mutual longing dancing there making it difficult to even think straight. “We…we should go back to the Spirit House.”

Kahlan nodded her head in agreement, allowing him to take her hand and lead her, her insides quivering with desire for him. She wanted him so badly she didn’t think she could wait another moment without feeling his hands on her, his mouth against her skin.

Making their way through the village, Richard was doing his best to tamp down on the hunger for her that was thrumming wildly through his body now, his arousal growing more than difficult to ignore. But he couldn’t make love to her now, not with the way that she had shut him out. They had to work things out between them before they could be together.

Reaching the Spirit House, Richard walked inside, his mind fighting to control his body as he unbuckled his sword, setting it down against their packs. Turning, he found Kahlan standing by the fire with her back to him; her arms wrapped around herself like had become her custom lately since waking from the Underworld.

He watched her in silence, his eyes caressing her every curve; longing to feel and kiss every place his eyes touched her, but the wall that she had erected between them was tearing him apart.

“He…he didn’t rape me.”

Her voice was so soft, so full of fear it pierced his heart as sure if it had been an arrow. “What?” he asked, taken aback.

“Darken Rahl didn’t rape me,” she repeated, keeping her back to him.

“Kahlan…” he softly said, coming to stand behind her but not touching her. “You don’t…”

“I do…I have to,” she replied, her head lowered, her arms still wrapped around herself. “You deserve to know.”

Richard paused, giving her a moment to stop if she wanted to. “What did he do to you, Kahlan?”

“Darken Rahl…he…” she began, pausing to draw a deep shuddering breath before continuing. “He kissed me…touched me…in places I’ve only ever wanted you to touch me.”

Richard swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat, doing his best to control the rage that was suddenly sweeping through him like a wildfire. He wanted to go to the Underworld and tear his brother to shreds with his bare hands for what he had done to her.

“I just stood there…and I…I let him…” she gasped as tears trickled down her cheeks. “I didn’t try to stop him because I knew that he would enjoy it more if I fought back. I’m so sorry, Richard. I should have fought him; I should have tried to stop him…to get away from him.”

Tears blurred his vision, the ache in his heart making it difficult to breathe. “Kahlan…” he softly began.

“It’s my fault,” she sobbed. “How could you even love me now…still want me?”

“Kahlan, it’s not your fault,” he heatedly replied, grasping hold of her and forcing her to turn around and look at him.

“I let him touch me, Richard! I betrayed your love!” she yelled at him. “I might as well have begged him to rape me!”

“You did nothing wrong,” he forcefully said.

“When that wasn’t enough, he threw me to the ground and kicked me, hit me over and over again,” she shuddered as she continued. “I just wanted it to end. And then…he was suddenly on top of me, pinning me to the ground and I…I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to scream…wanted you to come save me, but you weren’t there.”

“I’m so sorry, Kahlan,” he murmured, stroking her hair.

“But I didn’t want you there to see it,” she shook her head, her face wet with tears. “If he was preoccupied with me then he wouldn’t be trying to get to you.”

Richard could scarcely believe what he was hearing. “Kahlan…” 

“But then just before he could actually rape me, you saved me,” she smiled softly through her tears. “I opened my eyes and you were there, holding me close to you and I was suddenly safe.”

“I am so sorry you had to go through that,” he told her, taking her face in his hands. “I should have gotten to you sooner, should have fought harder to save you.”

“No, Richard, you saved my life,” she shook her head. “You kept him from raping me.”

“Why were you so scared to tell me what happened?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t want me anymore, that you would be angry with me for not fighting harder to escape him,” she softly said. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t look at me with the same. I couldn’t survive that.

Besides, I was trying to save you anymore heartache. I didn’t want to hurt you anymore than I already had, but I did by not telling you. I’m so sorry, Richard. Everything I do just seems to hurt you more.”

“Kahlan…” he murmured, leaning in and swiftly kissing away her tears.

He couldn’t bear the thought of her being afraid to tell him anything, but he understood her fear now and loved her even more for it. His hands slid up into her hair as he erased her tears with his lips, murmuring his love to her.

Kahlan’s eyes fell closed as his lips finally met hers, the passion that had been simmering between them all evening set to explode now. She couldn’t begin to believe that he would still want her after what she had just told him, but the way he was kissing her proved his love for her regardless of what had happened to her.

The kiss swiftly intensified, growing more passionate as his tongue battled with hers for control, so hot and demanding, his hard need pressing against her belly. He thrilled and excited her like nothing she’d ever known, her entire body humming with desire for this man.

A throaty moan escaped her lips, his hands gripping her tightly, his hips grinding against hers and keeping her where he wanted her. The feel of her hands stroking his back, her fingernails lightly scraping over his skin was driving him wild.

Retreating for air, he pressed his forehead against hers, trying to catch his breath. “Kahlan…” he gasped as she began to kiss and nip along his jaw, his head falling back in pleasure.

“Richard…” she whispered, her voice so sultry in his ear. “I want you...now…”

Richard moaned as she nipped at his ear, his breath coming in exerted pulls now. “But…Kahlan…we…”

“I trust you…with all my heart…” she murmured, her teeth raking over his earlobe and sending a shiver up his spine. “I believe you…”

Unable to stand it any longer, he grabbed her upper arms tightly, his lips claiming hers in a fiery rush of passion. He needed this woman more than the air he breathed, more than the blood that pumped through his veins. She was the pulse in his veins, his life, his everything. Without her, there was no him.

Kahlan ran her fingers over his chest and along his abdomen, following the cut of his hips that disappeared beneath the material wrapped around his waist. She felt him tremble beneath her touch as she began to explore him, the feel of her fingers brushing against his manhood causing him to break the kiss and press his forehead against her shoulder.

She quickly worked to untie the material, allowing it drop to the floor as Richard began to release her from her dress. He gasped as she touched him, her fingers wrapping gently around him and stroking him. He raked his teeth over her collarbone, his tongue and lips soothing the sting he knew he had caused, the feel of her hand on him quickly pushing him towards the edge.

He softly caressed her skin as he removed her dress, her fingers stilling as his mouth suddenly found her breast. She moaned as he tasted her, her hand releasing him to find his hair, holding him to her as she pressed herself further into his mouth.

His head was spinning with what was finally happening between them, the feel of her in his hands, the taste of her on his tongue as he teased and nipped, kissed and sucked on her. He couldn’t get enough of her, wanting to ravish her and yet forcing himself to take it slow, to make their first time together to last as long as humanly possible. He had dreamed of this moment for what felt like forever. He was going to make it memorable for the both of them.

His name was a continuous moaning chant on her lips as he kissed her breasts, his large hands stroking her sides and exploring her. He could feel her heart pounding beneath her breast, her fingers tugging at his hair and urging him on. 

He quickly reached down, grasping her legs and lifting her up as he carried her over to where their blankets were already waiting for them by the fire. Laying her down, he quickly moved over her as she leaned up to meet him halfway in a heated kiss, pulling him down over her.

He kissed her slowly, sensually, fully tasting her and allowing it to roll over his tongue. Wrapping herself around him, Kahlan rolled them over, taking control and positioning herself over him. She leaned down, kissing him hard as her hands began to explore him, his body on fire. He was swiftly losing what little control he still had left with the way she was straddling him, her breasts pressed against his chest.

Taking her face in his hands, he stilled her movements to stare breathlessly into her eyes as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Kahlan…” he softly panted. “I love you…more than you can possibly begin to know.”

“I love you…with all my heart…Richard,” she breathed heavily, her hand cupping the side of his face.

He tilted his head up, brushing his lips against hers as he raised his hips. Kahlan’s head fell back at the feel of him so hard beneath her. She ground her hips against him, the feel of her so hot and wet against him pulling a throaty growl from his chest that caused a shiver to race up her spine.

Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled her over onto her back, her thighs holding him tightly between her legs. He caressed her thigh, bending her knee further up as he kissed her, his tongue stroking her mouth, an imitation of what they bodies would soon be doing. 

His fingers skated along the smooth skin of her thigh before finding her hot center. Breaking the kiss, Kahlan tilted her head back, hissing loudly as he began to stroke her. She felt herself beginning to fall apart already and he hadn’t even entered her yet.

She gripped his upper arms, her fingernails digging into his flesh as she bucked her hips in response to his touch. She had never known that being with him like this could ever feel so unbelievably wonderful, his touch so erotic.

“Richard…please…” she breathlessly begged him. “I need you…I want you…now…”

Richard nuzzled his nose against hers, his lips finding hers as he tried to calm the frenzied storm he had created within her. He wanted to prolong her pleasure for as long as possible, but he wanted them to come to completion together as one.

Kissing her, he took her hips in his hands, holding her firmly as he brushed against her. The feel of her so ready for him nearly pushed him over the edge as he slowly pushed into her. Kahlan cried out his name as he filled her, her eyes squeezed tightly shut against the pain that shot through her.

Richard kissed her softly, slowly, allowing her time to relax and adjust to him. He did his best to hold on for as long as possible, but the feel of her gripping him so tightly was driving him insane with hot pleasure. 

He studied her face, relieved when she opened her eyes to look at him. She smiled softly, her hand coming up to caress his cheek as he began to move within her, deep penetrating strokes that had them both gasping and moaning with the ecstasy pounding through them.

Kahlan pulled her knees up higher, allowing him to thrust even deeper as she clawed at his back. She kissed him deeply, the feel of his tooth pendant tickling along her throat creating a wave of gooseflesh to ripple over her body. How she had fantasized about this, about him moving over her, the only thing between them the tooth pendant he wore around his neck.

The feel of Kahlan’s nails on his back, the feel of her beginning to writhe beneath him was rapidly propelling him towards that precipice. He didn’t think he could hold out much longer as his body moved of its own volition, his thrusts came faster, harder.

Kahlan could feel her magic raging through her, begging for release, but she was still afraid of confessing him. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, fighting against the need to let go, the taste of blood now on her tongue.

Seeing her teetering so near the edge, Richard began to tease her breast, desperate for her to come for him. With a scream of his name, Kahlan’s magic tore through her and into him like a streak of lightning, shooting through him. He tightened his hold on her, holding onto her as her magic sought his soul.

The feel of her coming undone beneath him sent him spiraling over the edge as well, her name a thrilling cry on his lips as his limbs gave out on him. She cradled him to her, her hands finding his face, anxious to see his eyes.

Richard weakly opened his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. “I love you, Kahlan Amnell…with all that I am…and all that I hope to be…I love you.”

Kahlan smiled in return, tears leaking from her eyes. “And I love you, Richard Cypher…with my heart and soul.”

Leaning down, he kissed her deeply, relishing the feel of her beneath him and amazed at how his fantasies had paled so mightily in comparison with the reality of loving her.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 20

Demos stood with his arms folded, one hand propping up his chin as he stared out the window into the starless night sky, his thoughts a thousand leagues from the People’s Palace. A scowl adorned his face as he lost himself to his dark wandering thoughts. 

They had found him an untouched girl who looked similar to Kahlan Amnell, but for some reason even that enticing prospect of a night filled with ecstasy could not bring him out of his brooding mood.

That girl would never be Kahlan. She may have dark hair and blue eyes, but she still wasn’t the Mother Confessor, the only one who was anywhere close to possibly being his equal.

Even though their encounter had been all too brief, he found himself completely bewitched by her. Every thought that passed through his mind revolved around her in some fashion. Even his dreams were becoming filled with nothing but her.

She was consuming his life and he found he didn’t want to break free. He had never met another woman like her and he was certain that he never would again. He had to own her, possess her and not just because his brother was in love with her, but because of the lust that filled him and overwhelmed him when he thought about her.

He would not be denied having her, breaking her down. She would be his ultimate conquest.

Demos pinched his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he imagined taking her to his bed. The only problem to his plan was the fact that she would be under his control when she finally came to him. He could always command her to fight back as he took her, making it much more interesting. 

And of course, Mistress Lucinda would add to the erotic thrill of it all. He would wait though for that. He wanted Kahlan all to himself for a while, taking and enjoying what his brother could not. He knew that his brother would come after his Confessor and when he did, Demos would be waiting for him. 

Richard would not get away so easily. He had plans for his dear brother as well, plans that he was certain he would not find very pleasant.

First thing on the agenda was making Richard watch as his beloved Confessor pleasured him in every way imaginable. He would be forced to watch her as she rode him, hear her screams of pleasure as he gave her what she deserved.

And there would be absolutely nothing Richard could do to stop him, nothing standing in his way of defiling the Mother Confessor in every way and having her all to himself.

“Lord Rahl, the girl is ready for you in your bedchambers,” Lucinda announced from behind him.

“Thank you, Mistress,” he murmured.

“Do you require me for anything else, my Lord?” she ventured, hope lining her voice.

“No, that will be all, Lucinda,” he dismissed her with a wave of his hand, keeping his back to her.

Lucinda ground her teeth, her nostrils flaring as she turned to leave him. She didn’t like him taking other women to his bed and certainly not ones that resembled Kahlan Amnell. She was not about to just stand aside and allow the Mother Confessor take what was rightfully hers.

She paused at the door of his suite, watching as he took his robe off. She smiled to herself at the marks she had left on his body. Kahlan Amnell would never be able to bring him such great pleasure like she could.

She stared at him as he walked to the doors of his bedchamber. She could already hear the girl’s sobbing cries as he entered the room. She should be grateful to have been chosen to enjoy what her Lord Rahl was about to give her.

The doors shut behind him, leaving her standing there all alone. She heard the girl begin to scream and she couldn’t hide her jealousy. It should be her in there with him now, her that would be bringing him pleasure as she broke him down with her agiel.

Exiting the Lord Rahl’s chambers, Lucinda swore to herself that the Mother Confessor would never get the chance to be with him. Demos Rahl belonged to her.

XXX

“Kahlan…” he called out, something a cross between a fierce growl and a pleading moan. 

He pressed his fingers deep into her hips as she moved over him, the feel of her riding him like this driving him insane with unbelievable pleasure. The view she provided him was highly erotic, her perfect form so graceful, the flush of her body and the rapture on her face making it more than difficult to not just let go, but wanted this to last for as long as possible.

The love that she had been showing him was setting his nerve-endings on fire. They had made love for the first time just a couple of hours ago and they already couldn’t get enough of each other, sleeping for short periods of time only to wake to the feel of kisses along her shoulder or over his chest.

That was how he had been woken by her this time, the feel of her lips and tongue moving over his chest, her teeth raking over his nipples instantly rousing him from slumber. It only grew much hotter from there as she had taken over, exploring him and leading to the shockwaves of pleasure that continuously rolled through his body now.

Richard’s gasping pants of her name only spurred her on, giving her just as much pleasure as he had been giving her tonight. She was quite certain that she wouldn’t be able to walk come morning, but she couldn’t dream of a better reason why than this. If she had her way, they’d never leave or give the Aku their Spirit House back.

Kahlan ran her hands down her body, finding his hands on her hips and covering them with her own. She found she couldn’t touch him enough, couldn’t make love with him enough. The more they touched and kissed, the hungrier she grew for him.

“Ric-hard…” she breathlessly cried, her body wrapped up in a heated frenzy with him.

Richard forced his eyes to remain open despite the overpowering rapture that thundered through him, trying to draw them closed again. He wanted to watch her every movement as she rose up and down over him, didn’t want to miss the ecstasy and love that filled her face. Her every move was so sensual that it made his head spin beyond imagining, her body flawless in every way. 

And she was all his.

Unable to bear it a moment longer, Richard forcefully held her hips down, allowing him to pump furiously into her. With a cry of her name, he came in a convulsive rush of blissful euphoria, taking her over that precipice right along with him as he emptied himself deep within her.

Kahlan collapsed boneless on top of him, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. He wrapped his arms around her, their sweat-slicked bodies trembling as they fought for control once more.

Richard tenderly stroked her damp hair, pulling it aside as she laid over him. Her body gently shook as a deep rumbling chuckle suddenly spilled from his lips. Kahlan sat up a little, propping herself up on her forearms as she gazed into his chestnut eyes still clouded with passion.

“What?” she questioned him, curiosity furrowing her brow.

“I was just thinking,” he chuckled, still breathless from his intense release. “I bet nothing like this has ever taken place in here before.”

She smiled as she leaned down and kissed him slowly, teasing his lower lip with her teeth. “I guess not,” she chuckled lightly. “It’s a wonder we haven’t woken the entire village yet.”

“I have a feeling we’re not the only ones doing this.”

“Caref told me many babies will be made tonight,” she seductively purred as she nipped and kissed along his jaw.

“Kahlan” he gasped, her fingernails pressing into his chest as she sucked on his earlobe. 

He could already feel himself responding to her all over again, could feel himself growing hard as she kissed along his neck now. The thought of getting her with child, of her carrying his baby only made him harder.

Before she knew it, Kahlan found herself on her back, his mouth devouring her with a fierceness that stole her breath. His hands were stroking and caressing her everywhere he could touch her.

The thought of making her pregnant had unleashed something deep inside of him all over again, renewed his hunger with the prospect. She hoped they made a baby tonight, the thought of carrying his child exciting her as well.

She had wanted nothing more than to marry him, to be his wife, his lover, to have his children. Now, that dream was becoming a sweet reality.

Kahlan gasped as he suddenly filled her, the lonely ache of his absence within her gone again as he filled her full and began moving inside of her. She grabbed his head, pulling him in for a passionate kiss, praying that the good spirits would allow his seed to take root inside of her.

Tears began to leak from her eyes, the joy in her heart spilling over as he drove her pleasure higher and higher once again. He broke the kiss with a sharp gasp for air, his face finding the crook of her neck. He kissed and sucked the skin there was his thrusts grew more forceful, knowing he was leaving his mark on her, but he couldn’t help himself. He just loved her so very much.

Suddenly tasting her tears, he slowed his movements, searching her face for any signs that he was hurting. “Kahlan…what is it?” he panted heavily.

“Nothing,” she shook her head as she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

“Am I hurting you?”

“No, my Richard,” she smiled softly. “I just never thought I’d ever have this with you…could ever be this happy.”

He smiled softly in return, nuzzling his nose against hers. “I love you so much, Kahlan…” he breathed as he leaned down to kiss her again.

“I love you more…” she whispered.

He kissed her deeply as he began to move again, his need for her never quenched for very long. His hand found her thigh, gripping it tightly and pulling her leg up to bend it over his shoulder.

Kahlan cried out at the sudden new change in position, the feel of him sinking even deeper into her core causing her to fist the blankets beneath her. She arched her back and tilted her head, her body engulfed in flames as he took her. 

She felt as though she was being split apart, sparks of pure rapture shooting up her spine. The tears were quickly forgotten as she clung to him for dear life, the need for release climbing as his pelvis pounded against hers over and over again.

The sound of his name on her lips as she came and the feel of her nails raking over his back was too much as he came as well, his body shuddering violently with his intense release. He pressed his head against her shoulder as he fought to recover, his arms and legs threatening to give out on him.

He gently eased her leg down, kissing the inside of her knee before lowering it back down to the ground. Kahlan pulled him in for another kiss, pulling him down even further on top of her. She loved the feel of him lying over her, keeping her protected from the outside world. She felt so safe, so loved with him.

Recovering some of his strength, Richard attempted to move, but found she wasn’t about to let go of him. “Kahlan…” he softly chuckled. “I don’t want to crush you.”

“You’re not,” she murmured, stroking his hair.

He brushed his lips against hers. “Every time I think it can’t get any better making love with you, I’m always proven so very wrong.”

“I know; that was amazing,” she admitted, gazing into his eyes as she brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “I’m so afraid that I’m going to wake up and find this was all just a wonderful dream.”

“No, it’s very real,” he told her, kissing the tip of her nose. “Hopefully, you won’t have any more nightmares, only good dreams of making love with me from now.”

“It’s what I always used to dream about before I died.”

“I know it was hard for you to talk to me about it, but if you hadn’t…I wouldn’t have made love to you yet, Kahlan.”

“Why not?”

Seeing the panic that suddenly flooded her eyes, he kissed her reassuringly. “Because I wanted our first time together to be absolutely perfect, with nothing between us – no secrets, no hurts or fears.

“You can’t keep parts of yourself closed off to me, Kahlan, if we’re going to share something so intimate and special as making love to one another. If you couldn’t trust me with the things you’ve locked away deep inside of you, how would you have been able to fully trust me with your heart…your body?”

Kahlan stared into his eyes, the love that shined so brightly there for her causing her heart to stutter. He was right. He was always right. “I’m glad that I told you then,” she smiled her special smile for him. “Or we couldn’t have done this.”

Kahlan suddenly rolled him over onto his back, taking him by surprise. She moved her hips, rubbing herself against him and earning a throaty growl as he bucked up into her. He swiftly sat up, running his hands over her back as he kissed her.

“Care to join me for a swim in the hot springs?” she murmured against his lips. “If you scrub my back…” she paused to kiss him again, “I’ll scrub yours.” 

Richard chuckled softly against her lips, loving the idea of making love to her in the hot springs. He had been so desperate to make love to her there yesterday afternoon. Now, he could make it a heated reality for the both of them.

“I would love nothing more,” he smiled as he kept her pressed against him, loving the feel of her sitting in his lap like this.

“That would require you letting go of me,” she lightly chuckled.

“Only until we get down to the hot springs,” he relented as he released his hold on her. “Then, you’re all mine.”

Standing to her feet, Kahlan held out her hand to help him up, but he refused it. Instead, he shifted to his knees in front of her, his hands skimming up the back of her thighs. He pressed his mouth against her leg, kissing her softly, his dark eyes locked solely on her.

He could feel her shiver as he continued to kiss his way along her thigh, the smell of her driving him positively wild again. Her hands immediately tangled in his hair, his name a breathless whispering plea on her lips as he continued kissing his way up over her stomach.

He worshipped her body for a few moments as if she were the rarest of treasures, fragile and beautiful and all his in every way now. “I have many great plans for you and me, Confessor,” he told her as his lips finally met hers.

“I hope they don’t include clothing,” she smirked as she broke the kiss.

“Not if I can help it,” he smiled as she walked over to where he had left her dress. “Although, the sight of you in that blue dress drives me absolutely wild.”

Kahlan smiled in return as she put her dress back on. “I was hoping you would like it,” she shyly admitted.

“I loved it,” he told her as he fastened the material around his waist.

“I love your manly skirt, Seeker,” she teased him as she came to stand before him. “I think you look very handsome.”

“I’m just glad Cara isn’t here to see it,” he sighed. “I’d never hear the end of it from her.”

Kahlan lightly chuckled, picturing the look on the Mord’Sith’s face at the site of her Lord Rahl in that Aku skirt. The amusing thought didn’t last as she suddenly grabbed her head, the headache beginning to roar to the surface once more.

“Kahlan, are you alright?” he asked, grabbing her arms and forcing her to look at him.

“Yes…it just suddenly…got stronger again,” she winced, squeezing her eyes closed.

Richard quickly went for his breeches, reaching into the pocket and pulling some seeds out. Returning to her, he held a couple out for her to take. “Here…eat this,” he told her, fear once again replacing the longing that had just been there in his eyes.

Kahlan took the seeds, chewing them and swallowing it down. She took several long deep breaths as she waited for the seeds to help ease the pain. Feeling it begin to lessen, she finally opened her eyes to find her Seeker staring at her.

“Better?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I wish I knew what triggered them so I could avoid it.”

“What if it’s making love with me?” he teased, taking her hand in his.

“I would eat those dreadful seeds every day for the rest of my life if I had to,” she smiled.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this, Kahlan,” he told her as he led her outside. “I swear it.”

“I…I’m scared that…it’s Darken Rahl,” she finally admitted as they walked hand-in-hand through the tall grasses.

“In what way?” he asked, casting a glance at her.

“It feels as if someone or something dark is inside of me trying to get out sometimes,” she said. “The more I try to fight it, the worse the headaches are becoming.”

“Did Darken Rahl do something to you before Demos brought you back from the Underworld?”

“I don’t think so,” she shook her head. “He wouldn’t have had time. He was too busy…”

Kahlan left the sentence unfinished, unable to relive it anymore. Telling Richard had been more than difficult. She didn’t want to replay it over in her mind any more. She just wanted to forget now.

“It’s alright, Kahlan,” he pulled her to a stop and took her face in his hands. “You don’t have to talk about it anymore.”

Her eyes fell closed as she fought back the fear welling inside of her. “Something is wrong and I don’t know what to do.”

“I talked to Odo and Mitta,” he told her. “They’re going to call a gathering to speak to their ancestors’ spirits to see if they know what’s wrong with you.”

“Do you really think it will work?”

“I don’t know, but we have to do something,” he firmly replied. “I can’t bear standing by watching you suffer like this any longer.”

“I don’t know how you survived these headaches, Richard.”

“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted, visibly wincing with the memory and yet angered that Kahlan was now suffering like he had. “I just tried to focus on you. I’d close my eyes against the pain and think about how beautiful you are, the sound of your voice or the incredible blueness of your eyes, the way you always get the tiniest hitch in your breath just before I kiss you or the way the fine little lines around your eyes crinkle when I make you laugh.

I would think about how much I adore your freckles and wonder why anyone would ever call freckles blemishes when you are so absolutely perfect with them. I would focus on how much I love you, dream about making you mine forever and the life that we’re going to have together once the rift is sealed.”

Richard watched as her cheeks grew rosy again, the glow it created in her setting his heart to pounding again. He was relieved to see the light returning to her eyes. She was so breathtaking, always leaving him in complete awe of her whenever he stared at her, talked to her.

Kahlan grew warm with the way that Richard was staring at her, the heat of his love for her radiating so brilliantly in his beautiful brown eyes causing a shiver of need to race up her spine. She longed to feel his hardened body pressed against hers, to feel in his touch again what danced in his eyes.

“You’re the only reason I’ve survived them so far,” she whispered. “Without you, I’d have lost my mind by now.”

“We’ll get through this together, Kahlan,” he told her as they began to make their way to the springs again. “I’ll never let you go.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 21

Reaching the hot springs, Richard released her only to swiftly turn towards her and bury his hands in her hair, kissing her passionately. “I know we just made love, but I just can’t get enough of you.”

Kahlan smiled, nipping at his bottom lip. “I know,” she softly breathed. “I already want you again.”

Richard paused to kiss her, his tongue teasing hers. “You are so beautiful, Kahlan,” he murmured. “I still can’t believe you’re all mine.”

“You better get used to it because I don’t plan on ever being with anyone else but you.”

He softly caressed her cheek, almost reverentially as he stared deep into her brilliant blue eyes. “I’m so scared I’m going to lose you again.”

“I’m not going anywhere except where you are,” she reassured him, cupping his face in her hands.

He leaned in and kissed her again, passion growing hotter by the moment. He gripped her shoulders, sliding down her arms before finding her dress again. He felt her shiver as he worked to remove the material that kept him from her, his fingers roughened by his sword brushing against her soft skin.

He continued to kiss her, his lips leisurely sliding over her skin, taking his time and enjoying the feel of her in his arms again. Although they had just made love not that long ago, it already felt like an eternity since he’d buried himself deep within her core. He craved the feel of her so hot and wet, sheathing him so perfectly as if they had been made just for one another.

Kahlan felt the material loosen and fall from her body as he explored her all over again. His hunger for her never seemed to diminish even though they had made love several times already. Each time they came together was like the first time all over again, so passionate and fierce that she thought for sure they should be consumed in the flames they fanned together.

He began to kiss her and nip along her throat, curving his back as he sought out her breasts again. She loved the feel of his hot mouth on her skin but especially her chest. The way he kissed and suckled her, his teeth raking over her sensitive skin creating such a heated frenzy within her that it made her nearly incoherent.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips as his teeth scrapped over her nipple. She arched her back, pressing more of herself into him as she tugged mercilessly on his hair. She frantically pulled at the material around his waist that kept her from being able to touch him as he captured her lips again. She swallowed his moan as the material fell away, her hand suddenly on him making his heart stutter.

She gently stroked him as she kissed along his throat, her own need rising. His chest was heaving by the time her lips reached his muscles there, her hand not pausing for even a moment as she licked at his skin that was beginning to glisten with sweat.

She slowly lowered herself to her knees before him, Richard’s mouth falling open in shock as well as rapture. Peering up at him through her long eyelashes, she met his heated gaze, watching as she leaned in and began kissing him so tenderly.

“Kahlan…” he gasped, his body already beginning to shudder with what he knew she was going to do to him. “Kahlan…you…Spirits! You don’t…have to…do…”

“I want to,” she murmured as she continued to pepper him with kisses.

“Spirits,” was all that he was able to manage to get out again as his fingers tangled in her hair, his head falling back in sheer ecstasy despite his desperate need to watch her mouth moving so erotically over him.

His whole body was on fire like a raging inferno as she loved him, pleasuring him beyond anything he’d ever imagined. The feel of her hot slick mouth on him was driving him absolutely insane, his toes curling into the grass beneath him as he fought to remain upright.

The feel of his fingers gripping her hair and kneading her head was making her more than anxious to be with him, but this moment was all for him right now. She wanted him to know how much she truly loved him, that she would never leave him no matter what.

He needed her love and reassurance now more than anything especially after everything that she’d put him through. She wanted him to know that she fully trusted him and that her heart was his no matter what happened.

Richard moaned something husky and utterly sinful, causing Kahlan’s lips to momentarily curl into a smile as she continued her attentive ministrations. She was thrilled that she could reduce the mighty Seeker to a quivering incoherent mess like this. It caused her blood to heat in her veins.

“K…Kah…Kahlan…” he panted heavily, barely able to catch his breath now, on the verge of blacking out with what she was doing to him. “St…stop…you have to…stop. I’m going…to…” he growled through clenched teeth as he tried to hold back his release.

Instead of slowing, Kahlan increased her tempo, his fingers tightening painfully in her hair as his body tense and convulsed as he suddenly came. She tenderly kissed him one more time before he dropped weakly to his knees, his breath hot blasts against her face as he stared dazedly into her eyes.

“Kahlan…that was…incredible…” he gasped as he suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a rough kiss. The taste of himself on her tongue pulled a low growl from deep in his throat. “Spirits, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” she softly replied, caressing his cheek. Gazing into his eyes, she knew in that instant she always wanted to be the one to put that look on his face. “I love you, Richard. I just wanted to show you.”

“You’ve already showed me several times tonight,” he told her, his heart still hammering wildly in his chest.

“I wanted to do something just for you though,” she said. “You’ve been through a lot lately…all because of me.”

“I never want you to feel as though you have to do that for me, do anything you don’t want to do, Kahlan,” he sternly replied, his eyes filled with nothing but pure love. “Just being with you, making love with you is all that I’ve ever wanted. Besides, you’ve put me through nothing. Even in the worst of times, I’m happiest being by your side.”

“Me too,” she smiled softly.

Getting to his feet, Richard helped her up, keeping a tight grip on her hand as he led her into the water. Turning towards her, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply as he took them both under the water.

Coming up for air, they reconnected in a fierce rush, the passion between them building once more. He slid his hands over her moist flesh as he began to devour her again, the need to be inside of her overwhelming him once more.

Kahlan could feel the headache lingering just beneath the surface, threatening to overtake her all over again. She wasn’t about to let it interrupt their time together now. They wouldn’t have this anymore once Zedd and Cara caught up with them.

Wrapping her legs around his waist, she clung to him as he pushed her back up against a smooth rock wall behind her. She pressed her head back against the rock as he bent down to take her breast into his mouth. She never wanted this to end with him, didn’t want to have to face the outside world and their waiting responsibilities. She just wanted to hide away with her Seeker forever.

Kahlan bit down on her lip as a sharp pain shot through her head, causing her to wince as Richard kissed along her neck, his teeth grazing over the skin there. She hissed at the sweet sting he created before he soothed it with his lips and tongue.

Searching for her lips again, Richard gazed at her through hooded eyes full of passion, suddenly noticing the look of pain that veiled her face. “Is the headache back again?” he panted softly as he cupped her face.

“It’s alright,” she insisted, squeezing her eyes closed.

“Spirits, Kahlan,” he murmured, kissing her softly this time as he attempted to rein in the desire pulsating hotly through his veins. “We don’t have to do this.”

“No, I want to,” she pursed her lips, shaking her head.

Kahlan quickly leaned in and kissed him hard, trying to force the headache back into the recesses of her mind again. He quickly responded to her kiss despite himself and the worry for her that continually simmered in his soul.

Pulling back for air, he pressed his forehead against hers as he fought to control the arousal storming through him at that moment. “I want you too, Kahlan…but not if the headache is coming back,” he frowned.

“No…no, I want you, Richard…I want you now,” she whispered against his lips, shifting her hips and taking him deep inside of her in one swift motion.

Richard’s head fell back with the sudden overwhelming feeling of being completely joined with her again, a sharp gasp being pulled from his lungs. She immediately began to move over him, her lips capturing his, her tongue demanding entrance.

He gripped her hips, trying to slow her down so he could talk to her, but she refused to be stopped. She bit on his bottom lip, nearly pushing him over the edge right there as she forcefully rose up and down over him.

Without a second thought, he pressed her more firmly against the smooth rock behind her, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he took over. His bit down on her pulse point, eliciting a throaty moan from her that only excited him all the more.

His desire for her took control of him now as he drove into her with wild abandon, his overwhelming thirst for her to come again with him becoming too hard to ignore. She was intoxicating, filling his blood and unleashing an animalistic need deep within him that demanded to be met...could only be met…by her.

“Kahlan,” he murmured against her throat, his breathing ragged as he made love to her.

She grunted and gasped with each of his forceful thrusts, on the verge of coming undone right there. The passion that had exploded around them, engulfing them both and threatening to consume them was creating tremors of pleasure to shoot through her as he pushed her to that blissful edge once more.

Her magic roared to the surface with a force she’d never known before, her eyes swirling to an inky black. She screamed his name as she dug her fingernails into his shoulders, her body responding to him of its own accord now. The feel of her coming undone all around him sent him tumbling headlong into a fierce release that left him trembling as well.

“Spirits…Kahlan…” he murmured, dropping his head against her shoulder in blissful exhaustion as well as guilt. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

Kahlan panted heavily, pulling his face up to kiss him. “I wanted to…I needed you,” she whispered.

“But your headache is back again,” he frowned as he brushed his lips against hers, his hands pressed against the rock on either side of her head, keeping himself buried within her as well as pinned between him and the wall.

“My headache is always there,” she insisted. “If we waited until it was gone, we’d never get to make love.”

Richard sighed deeply, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. “I still feel bad, Kahlan,” he told her. “You’re more important to me than just this.”

“I thought it was pretty incredible,” she teased in an effort to lighten his mood. “I don’t feel the least bit guilty.”

He pressed even further against her, keeping his hands on either side of her head. “It was beyond amazing,” he murmured seductively against her lips, tilting his head to kiss her again. “I like it here…keeping you pinned against the wall like this.”

Kahlan chuckled softly, her fingers playing with the wet hair against his neck. “I love it too, but I think Zedd and Cara will have something altogether different to say about it.”

“Don’t remind me,” he shook his head. “I want to just forget about it all and stay here with you.”

“I’d love that too,” she thoughtfully replied, brushing his wet hair from his forehead.

“The sun will be coming up soon,” he told her. “We should probably get back to the Spirit House so you can get some sleep before they call the gathering.”

“I don’t want to sleep,” she whispered. “I only want to make love with you.”

Richard smiled with her words. “I would love nothing more, but you’re still recovering from everything that happened to you. I should be letting you rest, not creating more exhaustion for you.”

Kahlan frowned as Richard unhooked her legs from his waist, pulling her with him to the edge of the springs where they had left their clothes in the grass. Helping her out of the water, he pulled her into his arms, holding her close to him.

“We’ll leave here, find the Stone of Tears and seal the rifts,” he told her. “And then we can finally be together like this forever...I promise.”

Kahlan sighed contentedly in his arms. She wanted more than anything to believe him, but something deep inside of her told her that it wasn’t going to be that easy for them. There was always something or someone coming between, trying to keep them apart. 

And now that they knew they could finally be together, she had a dreadful feeling it was all going to be taken away from her.

XXX

He watched them from the tall grasses, allowing the dark shadows of night hide his presence from them. Despite everyone else’s blind trust in them, Hadi chose to keep his eyes open and his spear handy.

He had snuck by the Spirit House to spy on them only to find it empty. He had immediately set off in search of them only to find them in the hot springs. From this distance, he could only make out their dark silhouettes in the faint moonlight, their voice muffled.

He had wanted to get closer to them to find out what they were saying, but he couldn’t risk being confessed by that witch. He was the only one in the whole village that they had not managed to trick into believing them. Even his friend Temin was beginning to turn on him.

He didn’t care though. He would rid their village as well as the world of the Seeker and Mother Confessor. Then his people would see what a real hero he was for saving them from the terrible outsiders. He would be named Tolla of the hunting party. And when that happened, he’d have Nakunam and Mitta killed for putting their trust in outsiders.

They had ignored the Aku traditions, choosing rather to welcome in strangers and make them honored guests, having a feast for them. And now, he had heard they would be holding a gathering for them, asking their ancestors’ spirits for guidance to help the Mother Confessor.

It was improper to hold such a sacred gathering for outsiders, people who didn’t have Aku blood running through their veins. He grew more enraged the more he thought about it.

Peering over the tall grasses again, Hadi saw the Seeker and Mother Confessor hugging one another. They stood frozen like that for what felt like an eternity. He tightened his hold on his spear, wanting more than anything to run them both through with his weapon.

But he needed to wait a little longer. He wanted them to see who it was who had ended their lives, wanted the Seeker to see that he, an Aku warrior, had been the one to take his life from him. He had humiliated him in front of Temin. That shameful act could not be forgiven or ignored.

The outsiders finally began to move, helping dress each other before the Seeker took the Mother Confessor’s hand and leading her back to the Spirit House. Crouching down even further in the grass, he waited and listened, tightening his grip on the shaft of his spear.

Hadi did his best to calm his racing heart, but he couldn’t stop the rage that pounded through him. He wanted them both dead, wanted them to pay for their prideful insolence. The Seeker had disrespected him and he would pay dearly for that.

“I’m sorry I left the seeds in my pocket back in the Spirit House,” he said.

“It’s alright, Richard,” she reassured him. “It’s still manageable.”

“I guess my thoughts were someplace else when we left,” he chuckled softly.

“Hmmm….I wonder where that would have been,” she lightly teased.

Hadi sneered at they grew closer, the soft rustling of the grass as they drew near causing his body to tense in anticipation. As badly as he wanted to kill them in daylight, the urge to end it right here was becoming too much to withstand.

“Well, when you’re wearing that dress, you make it very difficult to think of anything else,” he replied.

Her lilting laughter carried on the warm breeze. It did little to lessen his hatred for her. In fact, it only made it worse. She had confessed her Seeker and soon would confess half the men in their village if they didn’t do something about her soon.

He wasn’t certain who he wanted dead more – the deadly Mother Confessor who could confess them all or the Seeker who had humiliated him.

“Well, that skirt leaves little to the imagination, Seeker.”

Hadi silently eased up out of his crouching position to catch a glimpse of them. Off to the side like he was, he was out of their direct line of sight as they walked past him, the backdrop of trees helping to disguise his presence from them.

“You don’t think we could fight in these clothes, do you?” he asked, his voice full of amusement.

“I think you’d be too much of a distraction to me,” she told him.

“I guess you’re right.”

Fully standing now, Hadi raised his spear, aiming directly at the Seeker, his wrath erasing all logic. Just then, they suddenly stopped. Hadi instantly dropped to his knees, peering through the grass as the Seeker turned to look in his direction.

“Richard, what is it?”

A long moment of silence passed before he finally answered. “I’m not sure,” he muttered. “I just have the feeling that someone is here with us.”

Kahlan began searching the shifting shadows of night for any sign of someone. “I can’t really see,” she replied. “It’s so dark.”

“It must just be fatigue,” he said. “I think you must have worn me out tonight.”

“I think you are just as much to blame,” she shot back.

Hadi watched as the Seeker took her hand again, leading back into the village and away from him. He growled under his breath. He had missed his chance to rid them of the outsiders. He would have to find another way.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 22

Cara slipped through the still dark woods with her usual stealth and catlike grace, her green eyes searching out something for the Wizard to eat for breakfast. She knew that his head injury was worse than he had let on, his occasional groans in his sleep and wincing on his face had told her as much.

She wished there was something that she could do for him, but unfortunately being a nurse maid had not been a part of her Mord’Sith training. She had cleaned his head wound as best she could last night before insisting he get a good night’s sleep. She just hoped that it was enough.

She didn’t know what she was going to do if he worsened or if the Aku decided to suddenly attack. She wouldn’t be able to take on an entire village all alone.

She scowled to herself, wishing that Richard and Kahlan were here. She hated not knowing where they were or if they needed help. She felt absolutely useless when wasn’t with them, watching out for them. She found her mind constantly worrying about them and it was driving her crazy.

Brushing her fingers over her agiel, she immediately felt the familiar shockwave of pain radiate up her arm, relieved that it still work, the bond she felt with Richard living within her. That meant that he was still alive at least.

She tried not to think of Demos Rahl or that he was the reason her agiel still worked. He was not the true Lord Rahl, would never be to her and she would happily teach anyone who thought differently.

Pausing beside a large tree, Cara began to wonder if Richard and Kahlan had been able to work things out yet. If they knew what was good for them, Richard would just push Kahlan to the ground, take her right there, and get it out of their systems. She knew it would help a lot of the problems they were having.

Of course with those two, she wasn’t sure that they would ever get their attraction to each other out of their systems. She had a nagging feeling that nothing could ever keep from apart, their craving for one another never satisfied for long.

She absentmindedly tried to rub away the stiffness that had settled into her shoulder, a frown on her face. She was hoping to be able to find something for Zedd to eat for breakfast. She hoped that a hot meal would help him feel a little better. They had a lot of ground to cover today and couldn’t be slowed down if they wanted to catch up to Richard and Kahlan soon.

Cara warily looked around her, somewhat surprised they hadn’t encountered any Aku yet. They had only just entered their valley this afternoon, but still she didn’t trust them. They had probably captured Richard and Kahlan and were torturing them right now if they hadn’t been killed on sight.

They still hadn’t come across any D’Haran soldiers yet either. It struck her as very odd that Demos Rahl hadn’t sent any D’Haran Quads or Mord’Sith after them. It unnerved her not knowing what Darken’s twin was up to or what heinous things he was possibly plotting at that moment.

He wouldn’t just let them go so easily unless he had done or planned something that would ensure their return to him. The Seeker and Mother Confessor were too powerful to just allow them to escape. Besides, the way that Demos had leered at Kahlan had made even her want to rip his throat out. She could only imagine how enraged it had made Richard.

As much as she wanted to find Richard and Kahlan, she dreaded having to look into her Lord Rahl’s eyes, knowing what he expected of her and knowing that she had failed so miserably. She knew what Zedd had said was true, but it didn’t help lessen the guilt she felt inside.

She didn’t know how she was going to be able to handle the disappointment that would no doubt fill his eyes if he knew. Would he still allow her to stay with them? Be their protector? She hoped that he would forgive her because they had somehow managed to become her family and she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but with them.

XXX

Richard lay on his side staring at Kahlan who was still asleep beside him, unable to take his eyes off of her. He still couldn’t believe the incredible night that he had just spent with her, the seemingly endless love that had been made. It had been magical in every way imaginable and yet he had been untouched by her magic.

He felt a heated flush suddenly wash through him as he recounted her every kiss, her every touch, the feel of her welcoming him inside of her…surrounding him, the thrilling sensation of losing himself in her and surrendering to her love for him and him for her.

It had been beyond anything that he had ever fantasized about. Nothing came close to being with her like this, not even when he had made love to her broken half when she had been torn in two. 

The emotional Kahlan that he had made love to had been sweet and tender, gentle and loving. It wasn’t until he had made love with the real Kahlan now that he knew that something had been missing that night weeks ago. 

This was his real Kahlan in every way, so very passionate with a deep need to love and be loved by him. He had been allowed to see the real her, all of her now. He had seen, touched and known the woman inside of her. He had experienced a side of Kahlan that he had never known existed, a sensual feminine being that longed to be released.

And he had been the only one to ever see it, will be the only one to ever experience it.

It put a broad smile on his face, so very proud to have been granted the amazing privilege of loving her, of being able to share his life with her. He never wanted anything more than her. Even before he truly knew she existed, he had somehow had some notion of Kahlan, had somehow been a hidden unspoken part of his heart.

Unable to bear not touching her a moment longer, Richard lightly brushed her hair from her bare shoulder, leaning over to plant soft kisses against the soft skin there. His tongue slowly slipped out to caress her, his lips finishing the task as he gradually made his way towards her neck.

Moving to straddle her bottom, he could feel her begin to wake, a soft breathy moan escaping. He smiled against her neck, allowing his warm breath to tickle her skin. She whispered his name, trapped in that hazy mist between slumber and awareness.

Richard knew that he should let her sleep, but he couldn’t wait any longer to be with her. Besides, he could tell the sun had been up for a little while. They would be coming for them soon to start the gathering. He wanted to make love with her again before they had to leave the Spirit House, his hunger for her awakening all over again.

He kissed along her spine, blazing a tortuously slow trail that roused her from her peaceful sleep. He felt her begin to shift beneath him, her muscles gently flexing. She raised her bottom ever so subtly, brushing it against his manhood and earning a throaty groan in response.

Pulling the blanket from her body, he returned to his game of torture, his hands grasping her torso, his fingers brushing along the sides of her breasts as he kissed his way to her bottom. She spread her legs a little for him with throaty vibrating hum of approval that only served to spark his arousal even more.

Reaching her bottom, he kissed her, alternating between soft wet kisses and nips at her flesh. Now fully awake, Kahlan hissed with pleasure, her body tensing with his ministrations. Her muscles ached but in a very good way, one that she would love to participate in over and over again for as long as there was breath in their lungs.

Kissing his way back up along her body, Richard opened his eyes, watching her reaction and suddenly noticing bruises forming on her skin. Concerned, he tenderly kissed over them, fearful that he had hurt her in the midst of making love.

“Kahlan…Spirits, you’re covered in bruises,” he murmured against her skin, guilt suddenly rearing up within and threatening to snuff out the passion that was brewing there.

A soft throaty chuckle gently shook her body beneath him. “Richard, it’s alright,” she sleepily replied. “It just means that you love me very much. Besides, you should take a look at your body.”

Frowning, Richard looked over his shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of his back. He could see red claw marks in crisscrossing patterns over his shoulder and the part of his back that he could see. He smiled softly, thrilled to bear the marks of their love making, the passionate expression of his Confessor’s pleasure that he alone brought her.

“I guess we both love each other very much,” he warmly breathed in her ear as he leaned over her again, brushing her long hair aside and revealing more marks of his love for her on her collarbone.

“I don’t think it would be wise to leave the Spirit House in our new Aku attire,” she told him.

“Agreed,” he nodded, his tongue slipping out to tickle her earlobe.

“Richard…” she breathed out slowly, wanting him desperately but too tired to even roll over.

He kissed along the shell of her ear before descending along her throat again. He allowed more of his weight to press into her, his manhood growing hard against her low back. She groaned something sinful that sent a shiver of desire racing up his spine.

Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled her onto her side, keeping himself pressed firmly against her back. Knowing she was still tired, he wanted her to relax and enjoy this morning wake up with him, the first of very many in their future together.

“Richard…” she sighed as his hand slid around her to cup her breast.

Kahlan covered his hand with her own as he began to knead her flesh, his lips a heated assault along her neck as his other hand caressed her thigh. He gently pulled her leg up, bending it at the knee and propping it over his hip to open her up for him.

Her body felt weary and boneless and yet fully excited and awake with what he was doing to her. She could feel his hardness brushing against her bottom and she hissed in sweet anticipation. He shifted his hips and slowly entered her, kissing along her collarbone as he teased her breast.

Kahlan arched her back at the erotic feel of him filling her again like this, her heart racing as he began to thrust. Her breathing grew erratic as she rocked with his slow gentle movements, the sweet tenderness of their love making bringing tears to her eyes. She never knew love could ever be like this.

She quickly reached behind her, desperately needing to touch him too as he made love to her. Her hand found his backside and began squeezing and stroking him, causing him to press his forehead into the back of her shoulder as he continued to rock into her.

She could feel her pleasure slowly intensifying, a slow steady sensual build of rapture that made her lightheaded with the sudden demanding need to come. Richard reached around her to touch and stroke her, his breaths like searing blasts against her shoulder blade as she lightly raked her fingernails over the firm muscles of his backside.

Richard hissed low in his throat, exciting her like only he ever could. He began to move faster, his thrusts coming a little harder, his touch a little more urgent against her sensitive flesh. Her breaths were short pulls, shallow and gasping his name.

Kahlan suddenly came with a cry, her body trembling, her muscles frantically gripping at him. Her name was a muffled cry against her back as he came as well, spilling himself deep within her. Wanting to stay buried deep inside of her for as long possible, he curled his body around her, intertwining their legs and holding her close against him.

He planted soft kisses along her sweat-slick back, relishing the feel of her in his arms like this. “I love you, Kahlan Amnell,” he whispered breathlessly.

“I love you, Richard Cypher,” she murmured in response, wanting to kiss him, but savoring this new position for making love and finding that she loved it very much.

After several long moments of lying like that, Richard finally spoke again. “Do you think we should think about getting dressed?”

Kahlan hummed her disagreement as she held their interlaced fingers against her still racing heart. “No, I don’t want to move from this spot…ever.”

Richard chuckled softly against her back, placing lazy kisses everywhere his lips could reach without changing their position. “Well, I don’t think that’s going to be possible,” he regretted to inform her. “At some point, I’m going to have to leave your body. We’ll need food and water and I’m sure Zedd and Cara will be here by tomorrow or the day after that.”

Kahlan groaned with the reminder, finally shifting her position. She sighed as he slipped free from her, craving him all over again. Rolling onto her side to face him, she kissed him deeply as she snuggled closer to him.

“I have never been so happy or felt such peace in my entire life,” she softly told him.

“Me either,” he smiled as he gazed into her eyes, her nearness so intoxicating to him. “You are so beautiful, Kahlan,” he murmured as he stroked her hair. “There’s absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

She smiled shyly, her hand finding his face as she gazed into his eyes. “I know,” she whispered, finding it difficult to speak all of the sudden. The love and tenderness of the moment touched and warmed her soul. “I would do anything for you too.”

“You know now that you can tell me anything, right?” he ventured, his brow suddenly creasing. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you can’t talk to me, Kahlan.”

Kahlan averted her eyes, guilt overwhelming her again. In her attempt to protect him from any more pain, she had hurt the man that she loved so deeply. “I’m so sorry, Richard,” she softly replied, her eyes focused on the tooth pendant he wore. “I was only trying to keep you from any more pain…and…I was afraid that you would no longer love me or look at me the same.”

Gentle fingers beneath her chin forced her to look at him. “I will always love you, Kahlan,” he firmly said. “There is nothing that you could do to ever make me love you less.”

Kahlan stared at him for a long moment, overcome with the love she felt for this amazing man. She quickly leaned in, her lips crushing his and stealing his breath away. His hands slipped up into her hair, holding her close as she rolled him onto his back. Her dark hair was an inky veil around his face, shielding them from the outside world if but for only a moment as she straddled him.

Breaking momentarily for air, Richard gripped her hips tightly, anticipation of making love with her again heating his blood. “Kahlan,” he gasped, his head tilting back. “We really should get dressed.”

“I’m not stopping you from getting dressed,” she murmured as she trailed wet kisses along his jaw as she leaned even further over him. She grasped his hands, interlocking their fingers as she moved his arms, pinning his hands to the ground on either side of his head.

“No…” he replied, his voice rough with desire, “but you’re making it…more than difficult…to ever want to…”

Kahlan moaned as he bucked up into her, knowing that they wouldn’t be leaving any time soon. She leaned in to kiss his ear, her warm moist breath against his skin driving him insane.

“So I guess I have you at my mercy, Seeker,” she purred low in his ear.

With a fierce growl, Richard sat up and rolled her over, pinning her hands above her head and her body to the ground. “I believe I have the Mother Confessor at my mercy now,” he smirked, rubbing himself against her, the dark desire in his eyes exciting her all over again.

Lifting her head, Kahlan kissed him roughly, needing more. As he began to make love to her again, she readily decided the gathering could definitely wait for a little while longer.

XXX

Mistress Lucinda stormed through the Palace with her usual vengeance and determination. She had spent most of last night devising a way to keep the Mother Confessor away from her Lord Rahl and she was certain her plan would not fail.

She smirked to herself, pleased that she had come up with a way to destroy Kahlan Amnell once and for all. Demos would be furious at first when he found out she was dead, but he would eventually get over it. She would be there to help him through it, prove to him that all he really needed was her and no one else.

Spotting Mistress Cyia, she quickened her pace to catch up with the Sister. She knew she could trust Cyia with the assignment. Besides, as leader of the Mord’Sith, no one would ever question her authority or her orders.

“Mistress Cyia,” Lucinda called to her.

Cyia stopped and turned to face her Sister of the Agiel. “Mistress Lucinda,” Cyia bowed her head slightly in respect to her leader. “What may I do for you?”

“I have a very important assignment for you,” Lucinda told her.

“It would be my pleasure,” she replied. “What is it that you need?”

“I want you to take as many Sisters as you think you’ll need to kill the Mother Confessor,” Lucinda informed her.

Cyia’s eyes only widened ever so subtly, not as much as Lucinda had expected though. “Doesn’t Lord Rahl want her alive?”

“Yes and I want her dead,” Lucinda coldly stated. “His obsession with her is clouding his mind and his judgment. I think it’s time we stepped in and help clear it up for him.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Cyia dipped her head. “We will leave at once.”

“Keep it very quiet,” Lucinda instructed her. “I don’t want anyone knowing about this that doesn’t have to know.”

“Any idea where the Seeker and the Mother Confessor are?”

“They were last seen heading southwest,” she replied. “I want her dead no matter what it takes.” 

“And the Seeker?”

“I have no use for him,” she said. “Kill him if he gets in the way. I don’t care either way.”

“He will not be able to stop us.”

“Bring me back proof of the Mother Confessor’s death.”

“I will personally see to it,” Cyia told her.

Lucinda smiled as she turned to leave. Cyia was one of the most ruthless, the deadliest next to her. Kahlan Amnell was as good as dead.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 23

Coming to a stop outside of the gathering hut, Richard and Kahlan waited while Tolla Nakunam and Odo went inside to meet with the Council of Elders first. Looking up, Richard caught sight of Hadi standing in the late morning shadows between some huts watching them. 

The look of pure hatred in his eyes caused him to tighten his hold on Kahlan’s hand. He was not going to leave Kahlan’s side for any reason especially knowing the Aku warrior’s intentions towards them. There was no telling what Hadi was capable of.

Sensing Richard’s sudden tension, Kahlan leaned closer to him. “What is it?”

“Hadi,” the Seeker frowned. “He’s standing over there watching us.”

“I’m sure he’s harmless,” Kahlan attempted to reassure him. “I doubt he’ll try anything now that he’s aware that we know he doesn’t like us.”

“I don’t want you alone with him for any reason,” he told her, his raptor gaze leveled on Hadi.

“I’m pretty sure I can handle myself,” she reminded him, bristling with his over-protectiveness. “I’ve dealt with much worse than him long before I met you.”

“Zedd doesn’t want you using your magic on anyone until you’ve recovered more of your strength.”

“You didn’t seem to mind me releasing my magic several times last night or this morning,” she snapped, pull her hand free from his and crossing her arms against her chest.

Taken aback, Richard turned to face her, anger suddenly flaring with her words. “Kahlan,” he softly said, his brow creased in frustration. He could see the headache there in her eyes, the pain building in her blue depths, but still this wasn’t like her. “I didn’t mean…”

“I’m not helpless, Richard,” she scowled. “Have you forgotten who I am? Kings and Queens kneel before me, regions bow to my authority and power.”

“I never said that you were helpless,” he replied, trying to rein in his mounting anger. “It’s just that I know you’re not exactly feeling yourself right now. I just don’t want you to get hurt. I can’t lose you, Kahlan.”

“I’m still me, Richard,” she huffed. “I just have a headache. Nothing more.”

“Kahlan, something else is going on here,” he shook his head, uncertain of where this hostility was suddenly coming from. “I’m afraid for you. This isn’t you.”

“Don’t be…I’m fine,” was her clipped response. “Besides, you obviously thought I was well enough last night to make love.”

Richard straightened up, her words piercing his heart. “I don’t recall you complaining about it,” he heatedly replied before he could stop the words from coming. “Besides, you know that I never would’ve made love to you last night if I’d thought for one moment that...”

“It didn’t stop you from taking me when I was torn in two either. You took advantage of that without even blinking an eye.”

Richard’s hands balled tightly into fists as he stared at her, stunned that she would even bring that up or make it sound as if he had only wanted her for her body and nothing more. She knew how horrible he had felt after he had discovered that it wasn’t truly her that he had been with that night.

“You know that I never would have made love to you if I had known,” he growled, suddenly gripping her by her shoulders. “What is wrong with you, Kahlan? Why are you saying these things to me?”

Kahlan stared at him, anger mingled with hurt swimming in his brown orbs breaking through the fog that had suddenly gripped her mind. Her head was pounding furiously now, her thinking so clouded by something that she couldn’t pinpoint at that moment. She honestly didn’t know what had possessed her to say such hurtful things to him.

She roughly pulled free from his hold on her, averting her eyes to avoid his scrutinizing gaze. “I…I just…” she began, searching for the words as she turned her back to him, ashamed.

“We’re ready to begin now,” Tolla Nakunam announced as he suddenly exited the gathering hut.

Richard stared at Kahlan, his chest beginning to heave with the hurt and anger that stormed inside of him. He didn’t know what was happening to her, but he was going to get to the bottom of this one way or another.

Avoiding his intense gaze, Kahlan quickly turned and followed the Tolla inside. She hated feeling as though someone was corrupting her mind, forcing her to say and do things that she never would’ve done.

Entering, she sat on the empty bench, Richard sitting down beside her. She could feel his anger rolling off of him in hot waves, the hurt that lingered just beneath his skin. His entire body was tense, keeping a bit of distance between them. It hurt her deeply, but she had no one to blame but herself.

She needed to talk to him, to tell him that she didn’t mean what she had said. She folded her hands in her lap despite the overwhelming urge to hold his hand, keeping her focus straight ahead of her as the Council each took their seats before them.

Odo sat on another bench to Kahlan’s left and Tolla Nakunam to Richard’s right forming a large ring. A fire burned in the middle of their circle, blue and green sparks shooting like a fountain towards the hole in the roof. The sweet scent of the burning wood was different from anything that she’d even smelled before. It was making her feel lightheaded.

She absentmindedly rubbed her temples, tears pricking her eyes. She just wanted these headaches to go away, to just lose herself in Richard’s passionate embrace again. Why did she keep hurting him like this? Why couldn’t she control her anger?

Casting a sidelong glance, Richard could see her struggling, the headache threatening to take over. He wanted more than anything to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, but they needed to find out what was wrong with her. This wasn’t his Kahlan. She had been his Kahlan last night as well as this morning when they had made love, but this woman next to him now was no longer her and it terrified him.

His hand slid to the weapon that rested against his hip, his fingers brushing against the steel. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt as though he was going to need his sword, but it was a nagging sensation that he couldn’t shake. It didn’t help that Kahlan was acting so erratic, herself last night and this morning only to turn into something altogether different now.

It terrified him that maybe Kahlan really hadn’t been herself last night when he had made love to her. Had he been so blinded by his own wanton desire for her that he had missed that Kahlan wasn’t really Kahlan?

He knew that the headaches had been crippling at times, but she had seemed to be a little better, more herself last night. He had hoped that once she had finally talked to him about what had happened to her in the Underworld that she would be alright again…that they would be alright again.

Now, he didn’t know what to think.

Mitta slowly stood to her feet, raising her hands out before her as she began to chant words that Richard didn’t recognize. He began to feel a little dizzy as the smoke from the fire began to filter through the room, dancing and shimmering before his eyes.

His skin began to tingle, a warmth caressing his body that he didn’t quite understand. It felt as if he was suddenly being surrounded, unseen forces pressing in all around him threatening to crush him. He felt disoriented, lost. He didn’t like feeling so out of control especially when Kahlan was already in trouble.

His breath quickened, his pulse racing as the room seemed to spin, the smoke growing thicker. Everyone in the large hut seemed to slowly disappear, the smoke distorting and hiding faces leaving him all alone in the thick hazy that surrounded him.

Panic welled up inside of him, not knowing what exactly was going on. He immediately reached beside him, desperate to feel Kahlan there with him. He needed to touch her, ached to hold her and tell her how sorry he was for allowing his need for her to take over last night. 

He knew that something was wrong and yet he had still made love to her. He was furious with himself for allowing his own selfish desires to take precedence over her wellbeing, but she had seemed like herself once more. She had even initiated it at times, teasing and tempting him, making love to him and sharing in the passion they had created.

He reached out towards her, searching for her like a blind man searching for a brief glimmer of light. He suddenly found her, seizing her hand and squeezing it tightly as if she was his only life line. He was not about to let her go for anything in this world.

He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, silently begging for her forgiveness. He needed to know that she forgave him, still loved him despite his selfishness. He heard her suddenly gasp, making his heart nearly stop. He turned towards her, searching for her through the hazy smoke. Her hand suddenly slipped free from his, causing him to call out her name.

He could hear her crying, her soft whimpers clawing at his heart. “Kahlan,” he called out to her again.

When she didn’t respond, he moved towards where she had been sitting, desperate to find her. He finally found her sitting on the floor, her knees bent, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, rocking back and forth. He knelt down before her, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to soothe her.

“Kahlan, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“He…he’s here…” she choked out between panicked gasps.

“Who? Who’s here?”

“Hello, brother.”

Richard froze at the sound of his voice, sudden overwhelming fury causing his heart to thunder in his chest. In one swift motion, he leapt to his feet, turning and drawing his sword, blocking his brother’s path to Kahlan. 

Darken Rahl suddenly appeared through the thick smoke, a smirk on his lips and a gleam in his dark eyes. All the rage that Richard had been harboring in his heart against his brother for what he had done to Kahlan came out in an enraged guttural scream that seemed to shake the walls of the hut, his sword slashing towards his brother with the need to destroy him once and for all. He wanted him to pay for hurting the woman he loved.

Richard nearly fell forwards as his sword sliced through the image of his dead brother, Rahl laughing at his foolish attack, completely unharmed by the attempt. The Seeker snarled at him, panting heavily as he glared at him.

“You can’t kill someone who is already dead, brother,” Darken chided him.

“What are you doing here?” Richard growled.

“You summoned me.”

“I never asked for you,” he hissed.

“Well, I’m here now,” Rahl smiled, his eyes finding the Mother Confessor sitting on the floor, her knees drawn. “And how is our precious Kahlan doing? How I have missed you, my love.”

“You stay away from her,” Richard seethed.

“Ah, so he knows the fun that you and I had together in the Underworld?” he smirked. “It was quite a pity that our time together had been cut so short. I was just starting to really enjoy myself. In fact, I’m pretty sure that Kahlan enjoyed it too.”

“If you ever lay a finger on her again…” Richard panted with the white-hot rage pounding through him.

Darken Rahl chuckled. “You’ll what?” he asked, cocking a dark eyebrow. “I’m already dead thanks to you. There’s nothing more you could possibly do to me. Besides, I should be grateful to you. Because of you two, I discovered that I have a twin brother.”

“How?” Kahlan finally asked, forcing herself to stand beside Richard.

Richard immediately wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close against him. He felt her lean into him, her strength beginning to fail her. Tears coursed down her cheeks, her eyes revealing the intense pain that she was in.

The Seeker bristled as he watched Darken Rahl’s eyes hungrily roam over Kahlan, the look of lust, of remembering shining so darkly there. He wanted to tear him apart with his bare hands. Rahl slowly licked his lips as his gaze finally met Kahlan’s eyes again.

“Demos made himself known to us when he used his magic to bring you back to life,” he informed them.

“How did you not know about him before?” Richard asked.

“Someone cast a spell, shielding him from the Keeper. When he used his magic in such a dramatic fashion, it broke the shielding spell, but it was mostly the dark spell that he cast afterwards that really caught the Keeper’s attention.”

“Spell?” Richard furious gaze further narrowed. “What spell are you talking about?”

“The marking spell he cast over Kahlan,” Rahl replied, his lips curling in delight at their stunned expressions. “You didn’t know? How unfortunate for you.”

“What is a marking spell?” Richard demanded to know, the fury that had seared through him suddenly turning to ice water in his veins.

“Our brother has marked Kahlan as his own,” he explained. “She now belongs to him. It starts with an unusual mark on the forearm and then headaches begin to set in. The headaches soon become too painful to withstand. You’ll be forced to give into the changes taking place within you just to make the headaches stop.”

“What changes?” Kahlan asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Uncontrollable anger and erratic outbursts is just the very beginning,” he continued, enjoying the fact that he was the one telling them the horror to come. “You won’t be able to control your body or your actions soon. Your thoughts will be linked to Demos’s. You won’t be able to disobey whatever it is he wants you to do for him. You will be his pawn to use in whatever way he wishes.”

“No…” Kahlan gasped, taking an involuntary step back. “I…I won’t…”

“I won’t let him get near you, Kahlan,” Richard firmly said.

“You won’t be able to stop it or her,” Rahl told him. “If she doesn’t give in, the headaches will eventually kill her and then she will be with me in the Underworld again.

“Take your pick, Richard. Which brother would you rather your precious Kahlan end up with? Alive and with Demos or dead and with me? Either way you will lose her.”

“No!” Richard screamed, his hands tightly gripping his sword as he pointed it at his brother. “No one will have Kahlan, but me.”

Kahlan watched in horror as Richard’s whole body trembled with rage, the blade of his sword turning red as blood. She wanted to hold him, to comfort him, but she feared touching him at that moment.

“I’m sorry, brother,” Darken replied with a sigh, “but there is nothing that can be done. Only the one who casts the spell has the power to remove it. Your precious Confessor’s fate is all but sealed now.”

“There has to be a way to save her and I will find it,” Richard seethed. “She is mine. She belongs with me.”

“You may have her now, but you won’t be the Rahl brother who gets to keep her when all is said and done.”

With a flash of bright light, Darken Rahl was suddenly gone. Richard quickly looked around, the thick smoke gradually beginning to clear. Kahlan stood paralyzed, tears trickling down her face as she stared in horror at the spot where Darken Rahl had just been.

Richard sheathed his sword, grabbing her by the arms. “Kahlan,” he sharply called her name, trying to get her attention. “Kahlan, look at me!”

Kahlan finally turned her attention to her Seeker, her bottom lip trembling. “Richard…I…I’m so sorry…”

“Kahlan, none of this is your fault,” he sternly told her, his hand coming up to find her face.

“Are you both alright?”

Richard turned to find Odo and Tolla Nakunam coming to stand beside them, worry lining their faces. “What did you see?” asked Odo.

“Didn’t you see him?” the Seeker asked, confused.

“No, only the ones the spirits wish to talk to actually see or hear during the gathering,” Odo explained. “The rest of us are lost in a trance.”

“It was Darken Rahl,” Richard ground out, still fighting to control the rage within. “He used the gathering to come back from the Underworld to see us.”

“What did he say?” Tolla Nakunam asked. “Did you tell you what was wrong with Confessor Kahlan?”

“Yes, but I’m afraid it’s not good,” Richard grimly replied, his focus still on Kahlan. “Demos Rahl has marked her as his. He cast a spell on her that is transforming her into his prisoner to control.”

Odo shook his head in dismay, releasing a ragged breath. “I was afraid that something dark and sinister was at work here,” he frowned. “I’m afraid that this goes far beyond anything that I’ve ever dealt with.”

Richard raked his fingers back through his hair. “I need to find Zedd,” he told them. “My grandfather is a powerful wizard. He’ll know what we can do to save her.”

“Richard, Darken Rahl said there was nothing that could be done,” Kahlan reminded him. “Only Demos can remove the spell and we both know that will never happen.”

“I’m not giving up hope, Kahlan,” he snapped, his chestnut eyes flashing with anger. “I’m not letting Demos have you.”

“You might not be able to stop it,” she softly said, her eyes falling.

“I’m not going to give you up, Kahlan,” he heatedly said, taking a step closer and forcing her to look at him. “I have finally proven to you that your magic cannot touch me. We can have the life together that we’ve always wanted and I’m not about to give that up for anything.”

Kahlan stared into his heated gaze, so intense and filled with such conviction that she forgot to breathe. She couldn’t help but feel the hope that he held so tightly too. She didn’t want to lose him either, didn’t want to hurt him, but she feared that she might not be able to stop herself if the headaches became more intense or if Demos commanded her to.

Richard pulled her into his arms, holding her close. He fought back the hot tears that welled up inside of him as he tilted his head kiss the top of her head. He could not lose her. The thought of either of his brother’s getting their hands on her made him ill to the very core of his being.

He would find a way to stop this. One way or another, Kahlan would forever be his and no one else’s.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 24

Kahlan sat staring at the flickering fire still burning in the gathering hut, reeling with what they had just learned. She felt so numb inside…dead almost, her mind trying to process the things that Darken Rahl had told them. She couldn’t begin to believe that what he had told them was true and yet she was experiencing everything he said that she would. 

Soon, she’d lose complete control, her ability to make her own decisions. Her body would no longer be her own, but Demos’s. Everything she did, everything she felt would be for him and him alone. Her heart would no longer belong to Richard. The thought made her ill to her core. It was going to be like slowly being confessed.

She couldn’t bear the thought of Demos’s hands on her, taking her against her will and not being able to fight him or stop him. It would be like being in the Underworld with Darken Rahl all over again except that Richard wasn’t going to be able to save her this time.

She knew that Darken Rahl had no reason to lie to them about the marking spell, nothing to gain by shading or altering the truth. In fact, he took great joy in being the one to reveal the horrifying end result of the spell to them, knowing how much it would hurt Richard to learn the truth. There was no way to save her.

That was what mattered most to Darken Rahl – hurting his brother, taking and destroying what was his. The fact that she could end up with either him or Demos made no difference to Darken Rahl as long as she wasn’t with Richard. Bringing pain and suffering was all that Darken knew.

She absentmindedly rubbed her arms, the chill in her bones never subsiding for even for a moment. Her head was pounding like a hammer on an anvil, threatening to overwhelm her, but she tried to ignore it. Soon, though, she knew it was going to become too unbearable to ignore.

She squeezed her eyes closed; trying to focus on the passionate night she had spent in Richard’s arms, the pure peace and joy that she had felt being with him. They could finally be together, have the life that they had both been dreaming about for so long and now it was being taken away from them all over again.

She knew she had to do something, had to leave before she lost control of her magic. She was terrified of hurting someone, of losing control and confessing an innocent person. She was already beginning to feel her restraint slipping with the horrible things she had said to Richard, the way that she was always losing her temper. It wasn’t like her to be like that.

She didn’t mean any of the things that she had said to him. She knew that he would never have been with her last night if he thought that she wasn’t alright. And last night, she had been herself, sharing and giving him all that she had. It had been so very real, so magical and passionate.

Kahlan wanted to talk to him, tell him how sorry she was for saying those things to him, but he was still talking to Odo, Mitta, and Tolla Nakunam. Their voices were low as they talked, but she didn’t really care to know what they were saying. There wasn’t anything anyone could do for her now anyway. Her fate was sealed just as Darken Rahl had said it was.

Casting a glance at Kahlan still sitting silently by the fire, Richard could see the struggle she was going through, the way her shoulders slumped, her head was lowered. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, to take her as far away from here as possible in order to keep her safe. He would do whatever it took to make sure that Demos never got his hands on her.

Kahlan belonged with him. He had more than proven that last night when he made love to her without being confessed. No other man had been able to love a Confessor like he had and no one but him would ever have her.

He raked his fingers back through his hair, the fury simmering inside of him set to explode. It was all he could do to keep a tight grip on his fragmented emotions at that moment. So much had happened to them in the last few weeks, more than anyone deserved to go through. And now…now, their world was crumbling down around them all over again.

“There must be something that we can we do for her,” Tolla shook his head in dismay, his muscular arms crossed against his chest.

“I don’t know what for certain,” Odo frowned. “I’m afraid my healing abilities are limited compared to many others.”

“I need to get to Zedd,” Richard scowled. “He’s a powerful Wizard. He’ll know what we can do for her.”

Mitta suddenly spoke up. “Tolla, take the hunting part in search of Seeker Richard’s friends and bring them here immediately. This Wizard might be able to help save Confessor Kahlan.”

“Thank you, Mitta,” Richard sighed. 

“In the meantime, I’m going to see if there’s anything else in my hut that I can come up with for her,” Odo decided. “We’ll need to be prepared for when the seeds no longer help the headaches.”

“Thank you, Odo,” the Seeker softly replied. “You have no idea how much it means that you all are willing to help us.”

Tolla Nakunam clapped him on the back, squeezing his shoulder affectionately. “You and Confessor Kahlan are now part of the Aku,” he told him. “Besides, you both risked your lives to save my children. I will forever owe you for that.”

“You owe us nothing, Nakunam,” Richard said. “We were just happy to have been able to help. Your tribe has been more than gracious to us.”

“And I am honored to call you friend,” Tolla told him.

“I just hope that Zedd will know what to do,” the Seeker replied. “I can’t lose her.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Richard suddenly noticed that Kahlan was gone, his heart seizing in his chest. “Where did Kahlan go?”

“I don’t know,” Odo murmured, quickly looking around the large gathering hut. “I wasn’t paying any attention.”

“I have to find her,” Richard growled as he took off after her.

Richard immediately left the hut to search for her, fearful about where she could have gone. She was in no shape to be alone right now. He couldn’t let her out of his sight no matter what. He was afraid if he did, she’d disappear, that he’d lose her forever.

He swallowed past the thick knot that filled his throat as he squinted in the late afternoon sunlight that was a bright stark contrast to the dim light that had filled the gathering hut. He was surprised that the day was nearly already gone. The gathering had felt like it had only taken a few moments, but in reality had been several hours. 

He quickly began to look for her, desperate to find her before something happened to her. He didn’t want to go on alone, couldn’t complete his quest or live his life without her. It was so unconceivable not only to his mind, but to his heart.

He quickly made his way through the village, his anxious gaze suddenly falling on Hadi walking towards him. “Where is Kahlan?” he demanded to know.

“I do not know,” Hadi spat out. “I haven’t seen your witch woman.”

“If you have done anything to her…”

“I have not touched her or seen her,” Hadi scowled. “You have no right to accuse me of anything. You don’t even belong in our village, Seeker.”

Richard didn’t bother to stick around and listen to anymore of his ranting, his need to find Kahlan outweighing everything else at that moment. He didn’t know why she had run off like she had, not even telling him where she was going. All he knew was that he had to find her, talk to her.

Entering the Spirit House, Richard released a ragged breath, relieved to find Kahlan kneeling by their things in the corner. “Kahlan, why did you leave?” he asked, irritation filling his voice. “I didn’t know where you went. I was worried about you.”

“I have to leave,” she flatly stated, standing to her feet as she pulled on her backpack.

“Kahlan, what’s going on?” he demanded as he came to stand before her, blocking her way to the door. “Why are leaving now?”

“I have to get out of here…I have to leave,” she told him, tears brimming in her eyes.

She tightly gripped the straps of her pack, avoiding making eye contact with him. She couldn’t bear to look into his warm chocolate eyes that melted her resolve. She just needed to leave before she hurt him, hurt one of the Aku.

“Where are you going to go?”

“I don’t know…maybe Aydindril. I just…I have to leave now, Richard,” she replied, quickly making her way around him. She had hoped that she could’ve left before he’d had a chance to find her. Now, it was that much harder having to face him, to say goodbye.

Richard quickly turned, roughly grabbing hold of her arm and pulling her to a stop. “Stop it, Kahlan!” he angrily growled. “Talk to me!”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Richard!” she cried. “I’m a danger to everyone around me. I won’t be able to control myself soon. I’m terrified that I’m going to hurt someone…or worst of all…you! Do you really think that if Demos can control me, he’s not going to force me to kill you?”

“You won’t hurt me, Kahlan,” he told her, grabbing her by her upper arms. “I’ve already proven to you several times that you’re magic can’t hurt me.”

“But that doesn’t mean that I still can’t hurt you some other way!” she yelled at him, jerking free of his hold on her, backing a few steps away from him. “If Demos gets control of my mind, I won’t be able to stop myself if he orders me to kill you.”

“You won’t hurt me,” he firmly repeated. “I will find a way to stop this. I meant what I said to Darken Rahl. You belong to me, Kahlan, and I won’t lose you. Not now, not ever.”

Kahlan drew a shuddering breath as her tears suddenly broke free. “I’m so scared, Richard,” she softly replied. “I would rather take my own life than ever hurt you.”

“I know that,” he gently said as immediately moved towards her, taking her hands in his. “That’s why I’m not afraid of you. We were finally able to prove our love to each other last night and I’m not about to just give up on you now. Kahlan, you’re everything to me.”

“I love you,” she whispered, leaning in and kissing him softly. “That’s why I’m asking you…please let me go.”

“No,” he firmly said, his hands slipping into her hair and keeping her in front of him. “I love you, Kahlan. I’m not about to let you go no matter what happens.”

Tears slipped silently down her cheeks as she suddenly buried herself into his chest, surrendering to him for the moment. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as she cried. He swallowed back his own rising tears, wanting to just hold her close and keep her safe with him forever.

“Please, Richard…please let me go…” she softly sobbed, clinging helplessly to him. “I’m losing myself and I can’t stop it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I promise I will do whatever it takes to save you, Kahlan.”

She suddenly pulled back, her face wet with tears. “Please, Richard…promise me that if I start to lose myself that you will end my life,” she begged, fisting his shirt in her hands. “Please…at least promise me that.”

Horror passed over his face at the very thought, his mind frozen with anguish. How could she ask him to do that? “Kahlan…” he slowly began to shake his head in shock.

“Please, Richard…I need to know that you will stop me if you can’t find a way to break the spell,” she cried. “Promise me!”

“I will not give up until I save you,” he heatedly told her, taking her face in his hands.

“No! Promise you’ll stop me before I hurt someone,” she heatedly said. “If you don’t…I’ll do it myself.”

Richard swallowed hard, his heart in his throat as he gazed into her watery blue eyes full of such desperation and fear he could hardly find his voice. “Alright,” he finally whispered.

He watched as the panic swimming in her blue orbs began to fade somewhat, her body beginning to relax a little. “But you have to promise me something too, Kahlan,” he firmly stated.

“What?”

“You will fight this with everything you have,” he said. “You are not allowed to give up, Kahlan Amnell. I finally have you and I’m not about to let you go…ever.”

Kahlan slowly nodded her head, biting her bottom lip. “I’m so sorry I hurt you,” she softly said, cupping his cheek. She watched as he melted into her touch, his eyes momentarily falling closed. “I never meant any of those things that I said to you.”

“I know, Kahlan,” he replied. “It’s alright. I know it wasn’t you.”

“Being with you, finally being able to make love with you is everything I’ve ever wanted,” she told him. “I never thought we’d be able to truly have this, but you never gave up hope. You’ve made my dreams a reality, Richard. No other man has been able to do that for a Confessor in over three thousand years.”

“Not every dream has come true yet, but it will,” he softly smiled, kissing her and drawing her close again. “Once the rift is sealed and the Keeper defeated, I’m going to marry you, make a family with you.”

“I want that so badly,” she breathed against his lips, losing herself to his nearness, the way she felt so safe in his arms.

“I’m going to make that happen for us, Kahlan,” he reassured her as he stroked her hair. “And I plan on giving you many daughters to continue the line of Confessors.”

Kahlan sighed contentedly at the thought, nuzzling her nose against his. “I can’t wait to have a baby with you.”

Richard smiled as he tilted his head to kiss her, the idea of her carrying his child heating his blood. He wanted her more than anything, needed to save her before he lost her forever. He couldn’t bear the thought of her in Demos’s hands, his bed. It only fueled the dark rage that lived in his soul.

Knowing what his brother Darken had done to her was bad enough, making him ill. He had a horrible feeling that Demos would be so much worse, the things that she would be forced to endure unimaginable.

Breaking the kiss, Kahlan buried her face in the crook of his neck. “I still need to leave, Richard,” she softly said. “I can’t stay here and endanger the Aku no matter how much we would love to stay here.”

“Tolla Nakunam is going to take his men to find Zedd and Cara and bring them here, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to wait for them,” he murmured. “We need to get you to Aydindril right away. Hopefully, there’ll be something in the Keep that will help us break this spell before Demos gains full control over you.”

“We should leave first thing in the morning,” she replied, her fingers playing with his tooth pendant. “I wish I could just stay here and hide with you.”

“I would love that too,” he sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, life keeps dictating our future for us.”

“Do you ever think that we’ll be able to live in peace, just be allowed to enjoy each other without all the interruptions?”

“I’m going to do my best to make that a reality, Kahlan,” he swore to her. “I love you more than anything in this world.”

“I love you too,” she told him, kissing him again, her fingers disappearing into his hair and gripping it tightly.

Retreating for air, he pressed his forehead against hers, keeping her flush against him. He gently ran the pad of his thumb along her cheek to erase the stain that her teardrop had left behind. “You are so very beautiful,” he murmured, swiftly lost in her beauty once more. “You never cease to take my breath away.”

“Richard,” she whispered, her heart racing now for a very different reason.

“I should’ve fought harder, gotten to you sooner…I should have known that Demos would try something like this,” he told her, suddenly choking back tears. “I just hope that you can learn to forgive me someday, Kahlan.”

She released the breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, his touch sending tingles through her. “Richard, I can’t forgive you,” she slowly said, watching as his face fell, “because there’s nothing to forgive. You’re my Seeker, my strong warrior…” she leaned in to kiss him softly. “You’re my hero…”

Kahlan kissed him again and it was all Richard could do not to push her onto the ground and make love to her again right there in the Spirit House. He pulled back a little to catch his breath, trying to gain control over his desire for her.

He needed to find a way to save her. As badly as he wanted her, he was sick with worry over what was happening to her. He was going to lose her and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“Your headache is getting worse again,” he commented.

“A little,” she softly admitted, trying to brush it off as nothing. She could see the worry shining in his chestnut eyes. 

“Why don’t you rest for a little while?” he suggested. 

Kahlan shook her head. “I don’t want to sleep,” she shook her head. “I’m afraid to fall asleep.”

“Because of the nightmares?” he frowned. “You didn’t have any last night.”

“I was too busy making love with a very handsome Seeker to have any,” she softly smiled before growing serious once more. “I’m afraid that Demos will gain control of me while I’m asleep, that I’ll wake up and no longer be me.”

“I won’t let that happen, Kahlan,” he firmly stated, his jaw clenching with the anger that lived so hotly beneath his skin. “I’m not going to let him get a hold of you…ever.”

Leading her to the blankets, he removed her jacket for her before lowering her to the ground. Settling in beside her, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. He loved the feel of her molding herself against him, melting into his hold on her. He would never grow tired of it.

“Sleep for a while,” he softly told her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Kahlan took hold of his tooth pendant, gripping onto it as if it was her lifeline to him. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to relax into his hold, silently pleading with the good spirits to allow her to still be herself when she woke again.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 25

“I think we should make camp for the night,” Cara suddenly announced, casting a glance at the Wizard walking beside her.

“There’s still some light left,” he replied, his white wiry eyebrows knitting together as he glanced up at the sky. “We could probably get more travel in yet.”

“I think we need to stop,” she pressed. “You aren’t looking so good.”

“It’s nothing,” he brushed it off with a wave of his hand.

Cara grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. “You hit your head falling into that rift and you haven’t been yourself since,” she told him.

“I’m perfectly fine,” he frowned. “Just a little headache.”

“It’s much more than that,” she spouted off. “For starters, you’ve barely talked all day when you usually can’t keep your mouth shut for barely a moment, you haven’t wanted to eat when that’s all you ever want to do. You look pale and your pace keeps getting slower and slower.”

Zedd released a heavy sigh as he stared at her. “Alright, so I’m not exactly up to my usually self, but I’m sure I can make it a little father.”

“You shouldn’t push yourself if you have a head injury,” she shook her head. “I’m going to need you if we get attacked by the Aku. I may be Mord’Sith, but I’m not going to be able to fight them off by myself.”

“I may be a little off, but I promise you that I’m still fully capable of defending myself in a fight,” he replied. “I am a Wizard of the First Order you know.”

“Well, Wizard, that title won’t help either one of us any if you’re unconscious,” she spat out.

“Fine, we’ll stop for the night,” he groused as he bent over to gather some branches for a campfire. “I don’t know why you’re so worried about that tribe. We haven’t seen any Aku all day. I’m sure Richard and Kahlan are just fine. They’re probably on the other side of the valley by now wondering what’s taking us so long and how we’re doing.”

“Not very well,” she scowled, dropping her pack on the ground beneath a large tree with a huff.

“What?” Zedd straightened up to look at her. “I think you and have fared very well by ourselves.”

“I was shot with an arrow, we were attacked by banelings, you fell into a rift and now have a head injury,” she reminded him, her hands finding her hips. “I’d say we’ve had more than our fair share of troubles.”

“Look at the bright side,” he sighed as he settled on the ground with a grunt. “We’re still alive.”

“For the moment,” she huffed. “No telling when the Aku will show up and slit our throats.”

“Why are you so certain that they are going to attack us?”

“Because years ago, Darken Rahl ordered us to invade their valley to try and force them into service,” she began. “The Aku are known for their deadly skill in battle, their lethal resolve to protect their land as well as their tribe. Darken Rahl wanted them for himself.”

“What happened?”

“The Aku slaughtered nearly fifty Mord’Sith,” she softly replied. “I lost many Sisters that day. The rest of us were lucky to escape with our lives.”

“And the Aku?”

Cara stared off into space, remembering the events of that day as if it had just happened yesterday. “They didn’t lose nearly as many men as we had lost Mord’Sith that day.”

“That’s unusual for the Mord’Sith to fail like that,” Zedd scratched his head.

“I told you the Aku are lethal, will stop at nothing to keep outsiders away from their village. They somehow knew that we were coming. They took us by surprise.”

“That’s not something that normally happens to Mord’Sith,” he frowned.

“It wasn’t one of our finer moments,” she shook her head. “It went down as the worst slaughter in the history of the Mord’Sith. We changed a lot of things about how we attack after that.”

“Maybe things have changed since then with the Aku as well,” he suggested.

“Battle tactics change…people don’t,” she snapped, anger dripping from every word.

“You have,” he gently pointed out.

Cara sat stone still for several long moments, weighing the Wizard’s words and finding herself at a loss for a response. “I’ll see what I can find to eat,” she finally softly said, her voice losing the heat that it had just possessed.

“Cara, you are not the same person that you were back then,” he reminded her, knowing what she was thinking. “You have come so far, my dear.”

“Not far enough yet,” she murmured before disappearing into the quiet sanctuary of the woods.

Zedd watched the spot where she had escaped into the trees, his heart heavy for her. She had truly come so far. Being here in this valley again should be a reminder to her of just how far she’d come, but instead it only seemed to remind her of how much further she still needed to go.

XXX

Demos Rahl stood in the center of the room with his eyes closed, meditating on the link to the Mother Confessor. He could feel it growing stronger with every passing day. It wouldn’t be long now before she would be here and she would finally be his.

He could hardly wait. The girl he’d had in his bed last night had brought a small measure of satisfaction, helping ease his lust for the moment, but she was not Kahlan Amnell. Soon, he’d have the real thing in his bed. 

Soon, though, could not come nearly soon enough.

He forced himself to relax, to shove aside the dark lust that pumped through his veins for her, knowing he needed to focus on the marking spell he’d placed. His heart began to slow to a faint steady beat as he entered the trance-like state he needed to maintain a connection with her now. After she had fully changed, he would no longer need to do this. Their thoughts would be forever linked.

His breathing grew measured and shallow, his body frozen in a state somewhere between awareness and unconsciousness. He need not worry about being in such a vulnerable state like this, though. His most trusted Mord’Sith Mistress Lucinda was there in the room keeping watch over him just in case. 

“Kahlan…” he called out to her with his mind like a gentle breeze. “You will soon be all mine forever.”

A small smile suddenly graced his face as he began to feel her, sense her. She was sleeping at that moment, completely unaware of his presence in her mind, but she would know very soon.

“Come to me, Kahlan…”

He could feel his mind brushing against hers as sure as if it was his fingers caressing her skin, his heart beginning to thump just a little harder in excitement. He could feel her fear there slumbering deep within her, the terror that was slowly eating away at her.

She feared hurting her Seeker, feared losing control of her magic and confessing someone. She was scared of not being in control, of what Demos would force her to do against her will. She was terrified of Demos touching her, raping her. 

It thrilled him to his core to know the horror that he had already instilled within her, the fear that she already held towards him. He wanted to play on her fears, paralyze her with the things that he would do to her once she finally came to him.

“I will have you, Kahlan…” he continued to caress her thoughts. “You will be mine to rule over, to please me in every way.”

He also found her anger there mingling with her terror. It was right there, so close to the surface, growing easier and easier to let go of. He wondered what his brother had noticed so far. Had she tried to confess him yet? Lost her temper for no reason?

Demos couldn’t hide the soft chuckle that escaped of its own volition. If Richard only knew that it was only the beginning of the end for the both of them. Her little explosions of anger were nothing compared to what would be coming next, the abrupt change in her that he would be unable to stop.

“I’m going to make Richard watch as you ride me, make him listen to your screams of pleasure as I take you over and over again.”

He could feel her fear rising, gripping her and making her heart race. He could sense her anger as it flooded her veins. He was getting to her, his thoughts affecting her now more than ever.

“Once you’re mine, I’m going to make sure you are the one who tortures your Seeker for me. You will cause him unimaginable never-ending pain.”

Demos could practically feel the rage erupt within the Mother Confessor, her body trembling with the intensity of it. It excited him to feel her response to him, to know that he was already having an effect on her. 

He released a sudden sharp gasp, the connection with Kahlan abruptly breaking. He panted heavily, trying to catch his breath. Sweat trickled down his neck, back and chest as he fought to calm the hammering of his heart. 

He had been able to sustain the contact with her longer this time, the connection to her stronger than before. He suddenly felt so empty, though, now. He didn’t like not being linked with her, not knowing what she was feeling or doing at every moment. 

Soon, though, they would be linked forever as one. Then, she’d never be free from him.

XXX

Richard could feel Kahlan begin to tremble in his arms, her breathing growing erratic. He quickly sat up, terrified that it was finally happening, that he was finally losing her. She’d only been asleep for a couple of hours or so when it came on so suddenly. 

“Kahlan,” he called out to her, grabbing hold of her arms as he leaned over her. “Kahlan, wake up!”

“No!” she began to cry, her head rolling from side to side. “No! I won’t…no!”

“Kahlan!” he yelled, pulling her up and quickly taking her face in his hands. “Kahlan, open your eyes! Look at me, Kahlan!”

With a sudden cry, her eyes flew open, wild panic permeating the blue depths that stared blankly back at him, confusion clouding her gaze. She threw herself into his arms, sobbing hysterically as he held her tightly against him.

“Shhh…it’s alright,” he gently comforted her. “I’m right here, Kahlan. You’re safe.”

Richard held her for several long minutes, doing his best to soothe her, but she only seemed to become more upset. Whatever had happened to her in her sleep had rattled her to the very core of her being.

“Was it Darken Rahl again?” he finally asked. “Are the nightmares back again?”

“No…Demos,” she whispered, pressing her face against his chest, squeezing her eyes shut against the images he had created in her mind, vision of things to come for her and her Seeker.

“Demos spoke to you?” he questioned her, his panic rising. “What did he say?”

“He…he said that…that I would soon belong to him,” she wept. “He’s going to make me hurt you…going to make you watch…as I…as he…”

Kahlan could barely catch her breath as she broke down again in heartrending sobs. Richard immediately pulled her back to him, needing no further explanation. He already had a pretty good idea of what Demos wanted, what he planned to do to Kahlan. He had seen it in his dark eyes when he had brought Kahlan back from the dead. It awakened his rage once more.

“Kahlan, it’ll be alright,” he gently tried to soothe her despite struggling to keep a tight grip on his growing fury. He knew he should have killed Demos when he’d had the chance. Because he hadn’t, Kahlan was paying the price now. “I promise I will…”

“Richard, you can’t fix this,” she suddenly cried, pulling away from him. “No one can. You heard what Darken Rahl said. Only Demos can remove the spell and we both know that he never will.”

“Kahlan, there has to be a way and I will not stop until I find it,” he heatedly replied. “I refuse to just give up on you.”

“Demos is going to force me to torture you, Richard,” she yelled. “I saw it in my head. I can’t live with that. I’d sooner take my life than to bring you pain.”

“Don’t worry about me,” he told her. “I can handle anything as long as I know I have you. I just want you to worry about fighting this spell.” 

“But you won’t have me!” she cried as she got to her feet and moved away from him, fighting the urge to run away and never look back. “Demos will have me and I won’t be able to break free!”

“Kahlan, no matter what happens, you will always and forever be mine,” he adamantly declared as he stood to his feet as well. “No one or nothing will keep us apart.”

“You need to stay here and wait for Zedd and Cara while I go to Aydindril,” she stated, wrapping her arms tightly around herself and keeping her distance from him.

“Kahlan, I’m not…”

“You have to Richard,” she angrily growled. “It’s too dangerous for you to be near me now. I won’t allow you to risk your life for me.”

“It’s my life to risk and I’m willingly choosing to stay with you no matter the cost,” he firmly replied as he came to a stand before her.

Before she could respond, Richard’s hands were suddenly on her, his mouth crushing hers as he unleashed his desire as well as his anger over what was happening to her…to them. Despite herself, she gave herself over to him, to the passion he was igniting within her.

Her head was telling her to push him away, to run as far away from him as possible before she hurt him. Her heart, her body wanted him closer, inside of her, begged for him to make love to her again.

Richard swallowed her moan, his heart hammering with a need so fierce, so demanding that he could barely breathe. He couldn’t kiss her enough, touch enough of her. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he was probably being rougher with her than he should be, but he couldn’t stop himself.

He needed her to be alright, needed her to be his Kahlan forever. The thought of Demos touching her created such a blinding rage within him that he could barely think straight.

Kahlan gasped as he blazed a fiery trail of kisses down her neck, her head falling back in ecstasy as she gripped his shoulders. Her knees suddenly felt weak, the intensity and force behind his kisses driving her wild.

He kept telling her over and over again that she was his, his voice husky and insistent and full of desire for her, causing gooseflesh to ripple over her arms. He was like a drug to her system. She could never get enough of him as he began to pull at her clothes, his hands so rough and demanding.

She quickly pulled at the laces of his pants, needing to feel him so hot and buried deep within her. He never paused his kisses as he quickly lifted her, carrying her to their blankets waiting for them by the fire.

Removing the rest of their clothes, he swiftly settled over her, her fingernails sliding over the nape of his neck and into his hair as she greeted him with an open-mouthed kiss. Tongues clashed as she rolled him onto his back, each fighting for control and neither willing to give into each other just yet.

Their emotions were running high, their fears and anger, their heated passion for one another all combining into a firestorm set to erupt. Kahlan rolled her hips against him as she straddled him, eliciting a throaty growl from her lover. She peppered his chest with nips and kisses that had him gripping at the blanket beneath him, fisting it tightly in his hands as he arched his back.

“You are all mine too,” she purred low in his ear, causing him to moan. “Never forget that.”

Panting heavily, Richard leaned up, his hands finding the back of her head as his lips crashed into hers. He pulled her flush against him, swiftly rolling her onto her back and taking control once more.

Finding herself gazing up into his dark eyes, Kahlan found that she loved the feel of him above her like this, his body pinning her to the ground. The way he was dominating her now was creating a heated frenzy deep within her, her body demanding he complete her.

“Richard…please…” she breathlessly pleaded with him.

She raised her hips, begging him for what she wanted most as he teased her breast, his teeth and lips making her writhe beneath him. He gripped at her waist, forcing her still as he continued to drive her pleasure higher before finally slipping inside of her.

They both gasped with the sudden intimate connection, Richard pausing to gather himself again. The feel of being with her again like this nearly brought tears to his eyes. He quickly tilted his head and kissed her deeply, his tongue slipping inside to caress the roof of her mouth.

“My Kahlan…” he softly panted against her lips. “My beautiful…perfect love…”

Kahlan reached up to cup his face in her hands, tears stinging her eyes. “My Richard…” she breathlessly replied. “Forever.”

Smiling softly, he kissed her hard again as he began to move, knowing deep in his heart that nothing could ever come between them or tear them apart….not even Demos and his magic.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 26

Richard awoke with a start, his subconscious mind telling him that something was very wrong. He immediately looked beside him to find Kahlan gone. Panic suddenly lanced through him as he looked around the Spirit House for any sign of her or where she could’ve gone.

He found his pack lying against the wall...alone. Kahlan was gone. Overwhelming fear erupted within his core, knowing that she had left him sometime during the night and he had completely missed it. Leaping to his feet in search of his breeches, he just prayed that she was still nearby.

He cursed under his breath, knowing that he should have kept better watch over. He knew how adamant she had been about wanting to keep him as far away from her as possible, how scared she was of hurting him. 

Richard quickly dressed, his heart in his throat making it more than difficult to breathe. He thought that he had convinced her not to leave without him. Now, he had no idea where she was or now long she’d been gone.

Strapping on his sword, he snatched up his pack before leaving the Spirit House. The sun was already rising, the village stirring. He could hardly control the wild panic that threatened to tear him apart, the fear for her that seized his heart or the anger with her that heated his blood. 

Whatever Kahlan had seen in that vision from Demos last night had obviously rattled her more that he had first thought. She was terrified of hurting him and whatever Demos had planned for them made her run in fear that it would come true. He had to find her, had to keep her safe no matter what.

Racing through the village, Richard found Odo coming towards him. He had a grim look on his face that did little to settle Richard’s hammering heart.

“Odo! Have you seen, Kahlan?” Richard demanded to know.

“Yes, she left quite a little while ago,” Odo frowned. “I tried to talk her out of leaving, but her mind was made up. She’s a very stubborn one. She said that she was too afraid of hurting us or you to stay here any longer.”

Richard’s shoulders slumped as he scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration. “Do you know which way she went?”

“That way,” Odo pointed over his shoulder. “She asked me to give you this.”

Richard looked down at the folded paper in the healer’s outstretched hand. His mind was in a heated frenzy of thoughts and emotions all vying for control of him. He felt as though he had just lost the only woman that he had ever truly loved.

Taking the piece of paper, the Seeker fought back the hot tears that suddenly filled his throat. The last two nights with her had been more than magical, more passionate then his most erotic dream. It was more amazing than he had ever thought was possible to experience with a woman.

“There’s something else you need to know, Seeker Richard,” Odo grimly said.

“What?” he asked, trying to shake himself free from the haze of hurt and anger that had flooded him.

“Confessor Kahlan asked me for something, but I don’t know for certain what she wanted it for. I think you should know just in case.”

“What did she want?”

“Besides more seeds, she asked for a bottle of marlow root,” Odo informed him.

Richard felt his chest tighten with the healer’s words. Marlow root was only used for one purpose – to end a life. “Dear Spirits,” he whispered, his eyes falling closed with the dread that roiled in the pit of his stomach.

“She told me that she was going to sue it to stop Demos Rahl, but I fear it might be for her as well if she doesn’t succeed.”

“Thank you, Odo,” Richard finally replied, his mind still racing.

Was Kahlan going to go to Aydindril or was she going to try to kill Demos? It would be the only way to break free from the spell.

“When Tolla Nakunam returns with Zedd and Cara, tell them to wait here for me,” he instructed him. “I’m going after Kahlan. As soon as I’ve found her, I’ll bring her back here. Tell Zedd everything that has happened to her.”

“Alright, but I doubt she’ll be very willing to come back,” Odo shook his head. “She was quite terrified about losing control and hurting you.”

“I’ll handle Kahlan,” he adamantly stated. “Just tell Zedd what’s going on with her. Maybe together, the two of you will be able to come up with something to help her.”

“You have my word, Seeker Richard,” Odo solemnly replied.

“Thank you for everything,” Richard said, clasping his shoulder. “I’ll be back with her as soon as I can.”

XXX

Kahlan made her way through the woods as quickly as possible knowing that Richard would be waking soon if he wasn’t already. Leaving him like this was one of the hardest things that she’d ever had to do, but it was preferable to hurting the man that she loved with all her heart.

He hadn’t seen the things that Demos was going to force her to do to him, the things that Demos was going to do to her, defiling her while Richard was forced to watch.

She couldn’t just sit back and let that happen. She loved him too much to do that to him. Even though she was hurting him by leaving, she knew that it would be better this way in the end. At least, she couldn’t hurt him if she wasn’t near him.

She would go to Demos Rahl now while she was still in control, trick him into believing that the spell had changed her into what he wanted then she would confess him, killing him and breaking the spell once and for all.

Then she would no longer be a danger to Richard or anyone else. She and Richard could finally be together. They could find the Stone of Tears, finish their quest. Nothing else would come between them, keeping them from each other ever again. It would finally be finished.

Tears pricked her eyes as she thought of him, longing for him even now. The last two nights spent with him had been unbelievable in every way. She momentarily allowed her eyes to fall closed as she remembered his barely controlled hunger, the heat of his kisses.

She grew warm as she recalled how he had devoured her, ravishing her until she was nothing but a trembling mess, dominating her at times and yet so gentle and loving with her. He had opened her eyes to a whole new world, one that involved him and the possibility of a life together.

She had never known that such love, such passion could ever exist like this. Richard made her feel so beautiful, so loved. She just hoped the letter that she had left with Odo would help Richard see how much she truly loved him too and that because of that love for him, she had to leave him to protect him from her.

She would never be able to live with herself if she ever hurt him, took his life. She’d rather end her life than ever hurt him.

A tear suddenly broke free, slipping slowly down her cheek. She sent up a silent prayer to the good spirits to protect him, to not let him follow her. She knew deep down that he would come after her, but she had to at least try, had to get to Demos before Richard got to her.

Searing pain suddenly sliced through head as sure as if it had been a dagger, dropping her to her knees and taking her breath away. She tightly gripped her head, clenching her teeth to hold in the scream that was fighting for escape.

Her vision began to tunnel as her stomach roiled. She quickly turned, vomiting into the thick grass that surrounded her. Sitting up, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, opening her water skin and taking a long drink.

Gasping for air, she suddenly wished that Richard was here with her, holding her close, his voice soothing her and telling her everything were going to be alright. But he wasn’t and everything was so far from alright now. If she didn’t get to Demos, nothing would ever be right again.

Kahlan got to her feet on trembling legs, the headache making it difficult to want to even move, but she had to keep going to stay ahead of Richard.

Leaning against a tree trunk for support, she wiped the sweat from her face, surprised to find that her nose was dripping. Wiping her upper lip, she was stunned to find blood on her fingertips.

Pulling out her water skin again, she quickly washed away the blood before taking another drink. The changes were coming faster now. She feared what would happen to her next, how out of control she would soon be. She had to fight it until she got to Demos even if it killed her.

Either way, she was going to be dead or Demos would be…and Richard would be safe.

XXX

Cara frowned as she studied the ground, running her finger through the tracks left behind in the dirt. She slowly stood to her feet with a scowl, her hands finding her agiels as her eyes searched the trees for any more signs.

“What is it?” Zedd asked.

“Richard and Kahlan camped here a few days ago, but they were ambushed,” she informed him. “There are foot prints all around here…probably at least twenty Aku or more.”

“Dear Spirits,” he murmured as he quickly began to look around as well.

“At least there doesn’t appear to be any sign of a fight,” she sighed. “It looks like they went willingly. Why wouldn’t they fight?”

“Because the Aku are innocent, doing only what they know to do,” the Wizard replied. “They would never fight someone unless they absolutely had to.”

“Just once I wish they would think about themselves first,” she huffed.

“I hope those two are alright.”

“Knowing those two, they’re probably not,” Cara glared, still searching their surroundings for any sort of sign of what could’ve happened to them. She had a very unsettling feeling swimming in her veins.

Just then, Aku began to emerge from the trees lead by a tall muscular man. He had a spear in one hand, the other raised out before him in caution. “Are you Zedd and Cara?”

Cara stiffened at the sight of the Aku, tightening her grip on her weapons. She was more than ready to fight them, taking them all on single-handedly if needed to find Richard and Kahlan. She had already lost many Sisters of the Agiel to the Aku. She wasn’t about to lose the Seeker and Mother Confessor too. They were her family.

“We are,” Zedd hesitantly responded, stunned they knew their names.

The Wizard reached over and placed a calming hand on Cara’s arm. He could feel her about to pounce at any moment whether they were provoked or not.

“Seeker Richard sent us to find you,” the man suddenly smiled broadly. “My name is Nakunam. I am Tolla of the Aku hunters. We were sent to bring you back to the village.”

“But she is Mord’Sith,” Hadi seethed from behind him, his furious glare as well as his spear locked on Cara.

“She is a friend of Seeker Richard,” Tolla sternly said. “That makes her our friend as well. Lower your spear.”

“But her kind attacked us, killed some of our warriors,” Hadi scowled. “Have you more love for outsiders than you do your own people?”

“Hadi!” Tolla angrily growled. “That is enough. I am Tolla. I make the decisions and you follow.”

Hadi slowly lowered his spear, a sneer still twisting his lips. He would not stand for this. Once they returned to the village, he was going to make sure the outsiders were dealt with once and for all starting with the Seeker.

“We don’t mean to cause you any trouble,” Zedd quickly added. “I know of the deadly attack by the Mord’Sith on your people years ago. Cara is no longer like her former Sisters. She believes in the Seeker, has sworn to protect him with her life. She fights for good now.”

“We appreciate that,” Tolla nodded. “I’m afraid that Hadi has a bad temper, still holds to our ancestors’ beliefs of killing on sight, no questions asked. We are trying to change our ways.”

“Cara,” Zedd firmly but quietly warned, his hand still on her shoulder.

With a huff, the Mord’Sith slowly lowered her arms, attaching her agiels to her waist once more. The glower on her face didn’t fade an ounce as she locked eyes with Hadi.

“Are Richard and Kahlan alright?” Zedd asked.

“Yes, Seeker Richard is fine, but I’m afraid Confessor Kahlan not so much,” Tolla regretted to inform them. “Her spirit is very sick. We have been unable to help her I’m afraid.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Cara asked.

“We are not certain,” Tolla shook his head. “We held a gathering with our ancestors’ spirits to see if they could provide answers for her, but Darken Rahl appeared to speak with Seeker Richard and Confessor Kahlan. Whatever he told them upset the Seeker very much. He’s very worried about his mate. That’s why he sent me to find you right away.”

“Mate?” Cara repeated, cocking a blond eyebrow in surprise. “They aren’t mates.”

“Yes, they are,” Tolla insisted. “Several times…in the Spirit House.”

Zedd grinned with the news. “So Richard finally figured it out,” he murmured to himself.

“Whatever he figured out it sure took him long enough,” Cara huffed.

“Well, we better hurry,” Zedd said. “If Richard sent you to find us then Kahlan must not be doing well at all.”

“And if Darken Rahl knows what’s wrong that can’t be good either,” Cara interrupted.

“Come,” Tolla said. “Our village is not too far away. We should be there by sunset.”

“Do you have a healer in your village?” Zedd asked as he began to follow the Aku.

“Yes, Odo,” Tolla Nakunam nodded. “Unfortunately, this is beyond even his abilities.”

Following the Aku warriors, Cara couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling that seeing…trusting the Aku suddenly brought her. Despite the fact that they had obviously changed since the last encounter, she couldn’t shake the anger and hatred that lingered in her soul.

Temin quickly fell in step beside Hadi who was lagging behind in the back, keeping to himself. The dark glower that filled his façade made Temin uneasy. His friend was becoming more withdrawn, more consumed with his anger and hatred.

“Hadi,” Temin began.

“Don’t start with me, Temin,” he growled, keeping his voice low, his gaze focused on the Mord’Sith walking ahead of them.

“You’re going to get yourself in trouble with the Tolla if you keep defying him like that,” he frowned. “You need to start keeping your opinions to yourself or you’ll never be Tolla one day.”

“So I’m just supposed to stand by and let these outsiders take over our village?” Hadi angrily snapped, stuffing a leaf into his mouth. “Nakunam and Mitta are making our tribe weak by not adhering to our ancestors’ ways.”

“Hadi, times are changing and it’s time that you changed with it,” Temin shook his head. “I thought you of all people would support the new ways, not be so consumed with clinging to the old traditions.”

“And I thought you were my friend,” he spat out.

Temin stopped, pulling Hadi to a stop as well. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“I heard a rumor that you are considering giving your sister Pasha to Athanas,” he snorted. “How could you not consider me, Temin? You know I’ve been in love with your sister for years.”

“Hadi, you’re best friend, but Pasha is my sister,” Temin said. “I have to do what I feel is best for her and I feel that Athanas would be a very good mate for her.”

“And I’m not?” Hadi hissed. “I’m the best spearman in the tribe. I’m could be Tolla someday.”

“Those are all good, but I just don’t think you and Pasha would be a good fit,” he firmly stated.

Hadi stiffened with his friend’s words, his anger burning brightly in his dark eyes. “I would be a very good mate for Pasha. I would treat her like a queen.”

“I know you would,” Temin sighed heavily, growing exasperated by this conversation. “But Athanas is more her age. He’s kind and a very good worker in the tribe. Besides, Pasha seems to really like him.”

“Pasha doesn’t like me?”

“She thinks of you more like a brother,” Temin tried to explain. “You’ve practically grown up with me, Hadi; over at our hut more than your own growing up. How else is she supposed to look at you?”

“Like a good mate,” Hadi ground out. He couldn’t begin to believe what he was hearing. His own friend that was like a brother to him had turned his back on him. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me, Temin. I thought we were like brothers.”

“We are, but you have to admit that you’ve let your anger get the better of you lately,” he pointed out. “You’re losing your temper all the time, questioning Tolla and the Council of Elders. How can I let my sister be subjected to your anger?”

“I am only looking out for our people,” he shot back. “And I would never hurt Pasha. I love her. I would never lay a finger on her.”

“I know, Hadi,” Temin replied, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Tell you what. I’ll talk to Pasha on your behalf and tell her what a good mate you would be; give her the choice between you and Athanas.”

“You would do that?” he asked with a narrowed gaze, staring suspiciously at him.

“Of course,” Temin huffed in frustration. “But the choice is ultimately hers, Hadi. If she chooses Athanas, you must abide by her choice. No hostilities towards me, Pasha, or Athanas.”

“I will,” Hadi quickly agreed, his face brightening some. “I promise you won’t regret this, Temin. If she chooses me, I won’t let you down.”

“You better not or I will not hesitate to personally remove you from the tribe permanently,” Temin frowned. “Come on; we better catch up before Tolla notices we’re not with them.”

Hadi and Temin quickly took off to catch up with the others, Hadi suddenly feeling better than he had. He at last had a chance with Pasha. He wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of that dream becoming a reality especially not the outsiders.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 27

Richard slowed his pace some as he followed Kahlan’s tracks through the woods, allowing himself to catch his breath again for a brief moment. He’d pushed himself hard all day in a frantic attempt to catch up to her, hoping against hope that he wasn’t too late.

Following her trail, he’d come across a spot where she had knelt in the grass and gotten sick. He had also found some drops of blood that only served to feed the panic that threatened to stop his heart all together. He hadn’t found much blood, but it was still enough to scare the wits out of him. 

Knowing that the headaches were worsening enough to make her vomit also did nothing to ease his worries. He knew firsthand how debilitating they could become. He just wanted to find her and hold her now.

Had she been wounded somehow? Attacked? Was she already becoming Demos’s without him there to help her fight the spell? 

He needed to get to her before she reached the People’s Palace and he’d lost her forever. He couldn’t live with that, knowing what Demos would do to her once he got his filthy hands on her. Richard knew that he would stop at nothing to get to Kahlan, to kill his brother Demos once and for all.

Reaching into his pocket, he came to a stop, pulling out the note that Kahlan had left for him, reading it again for the hundredth time since leaving the Aku this morning. The words it contained had kept him upright, helped him keep going when he wanted to stop and rest.

 

_My dearest Richard,  
I’m so sorry but I can’t be with you anymore right now. It’s too dangerous so I’m going to the People’s Palace to end this once and for all. Eliminating Demos will be the only way that I will be free…that either of us will ever be free from him._

_Please don’t come after me. I cannot live with the things that I saw Demos forcing me to do to you. I’m afraid that you are safer away from your Confessor right now then you are with her._

_If I don’t succeed, please know that you have given me the greatest gift that a man can ever give a woman like me. You gave me your heart, your love so willingly, so fearlessly and because of that we are at last free to share our love with one another._

_You have made me the happiest woman in the world, my love. Being with you, making love with you the last couple of days has been better than anything I have ever dreamed experiencing with you._

_You will always and forever have my heart, Richard Cypher. It’s been yours since that day in Hartland when you saved my life. I was just too afraid to say it before I knew that you couldn’t be touched by my magic, but I’m telling you now._

_Love always,  
Your Kahlan_

 

The words began to blur together as tears filled his eyes. Folding up the note, he quickly stuffed it back into his vest pocket, his need to find her overwhelming him. He released a ragged breath as he fought to rein in his heart once more. He missed her fiercely, longed to hold her in his arms again and feel her body pressed firmly against his.

He was terrified not knowing what was happening to her at that moment, if she was hurt or if she was even still his Kahlan any longer. As many times as they had made love, she could be carrying their child right now for all they knew. He couldn’t bear to lose her.

At the same time, he was so furious with her for leaving him like this. Waking up and finding her gone had been next to unbearable, not knowing what was happening to her driving him insane with worry. He could scarcely believe that she had done this to him. He had given her everything he had and it hadn’t been enough. She had left him.

The thought caused him to quicken his pace again as he wiped the perspiration from his brow. He raked his fingers back through his hair, ignoring how empty his stomach was. He had only stopped a couple of times all day, pausing long enough to refill his water skin.

Glancing at the sky, Richard saw the sun beginning to make its descent behind the distant mountains, shadows stretching and darkening. Gray clouds began to gather as well, threatening to obscure the sun from view.

It was going to be night before long, a bad storm going to erupt. He had to find her soon. He didn’t want her out here all alone at night. It was too dangerous even for the powerful Mother Confessor.

He could think of little else except for getting to Kahlan, fearful of the state that he would find her in. Would she still be herself? Would she even still know him?

The sudden sound of her piercing scream tore through the air and straight through his heart. He took off in the direction of her shrieks, his hand finding the hilt of his sword as he ran. The familiar echoing ring of the sword’s release from its scabbard filled the air as he leapt over fallen tree branches and careened around tree trunks, desperate to get to her.

Breaking through the trees, he found her being attacked by seven Mord’Sith, three already lying dead around her. Kahlan was balled up on the ground, agiels being pressed into her head and neck, her back and her sides. White-hot rage thundered through him at the site of her being attacked so viciously, remembering all too well the feel of an agiel pressed against his body. He had never wanted Kahlan to ever know such excruciating pain as that.

With a guttural scream of fury, Richard raced towards her, his sword raised and ready for battle. The Mord’Sith quickly pulled back from their attack on the Mother Confessor, turning their attention on the Seeker now.

With an enraged thrust of his sword, he took down one Mord’Sith after another, turning into time to see Kahlan somehow manage to stumble to her feet. She slammed her hand against the throat of a Mord’Sith, confessing her in less than a heartbeat. The Mord’Sith quickly sank to her knees, trembling from the agonizing pain that rolled through her as she gasped for her last breath, succumbing to the most brutal of deaths at the hand of a Confessor.

Richard arched his body as an agiel suddenly slammed into his back, nearly taking him to his knees. Forcing himself to block out the pain, he swiftly turned, the hilt of his sword connecting with the Mord’Sith’s skull and abruptly ending her attack. 

He spun again, ducking and narrowly missing another agiel to the side of his head. Twisting around, he came up with his sword, thrusting deep into his attacker’s abdomen before lifting his boot and shoving the body off of his blade. Turning, he panted heavily as he watched Kahlan confess another Mord’Sith, finishing off the last of the Sisters of the Agiel.

Coming to stand next to her, Richard watched as the blond haired Mord’Sith fell to her knees, her body almost convulsing with the pain inflicted on her. “Why did Demos order this attack on the Mother Confessor?” he demanded, chest heaving, sweat trickling down his back.

“He…he didn’t…” she gasped and gagged as she clutched at her throat. “It…it wasn’t…Lord Rahl…”

“Who then?” Kahlan yelled, grabbing hold of the Mord’Sith’s shoulders and hauling her to her feet. “Why did you attack me?”

“We were sent to kill you, Mistress,” she cried, her body growing limp in the Mother Confessor’s hands. “There are many more of us coming for you.”

“Who ordered you to kill me?” Kahlan growled, her rage blazing through her.

“It was…it…was…” the dying Mord’Sith winced and groaned before drawing a final shuddering breath.

Kahlan shook the lifeless body in her hands, enraged. “Who was it?” she screamed. “Who sent you?”

Swiftly sheathing his sword, Richard grabbed hold of Kahlan’s arms, forcing her to release the dead Mord’Sith. “Kahlan, it’s over,” he forcefully said, turning her towards him. “She’s dead.”

“No!” she angrily cried, her body trembling as she suddenly seized Richard by the throat. “It’s not over yet!”

“Kahlan, it’s alright,” he told her, unafraid of her. “It’s me…it’s Richard. You’re safe now, Kahlan.”

“Richard?” she whispered, her brow creasing as she stared into his eyes.

It was as if she knew him and yet she didn’t recognize him, not in the grip of the Blood Rage, but something altogether different. Her grip on his throat slowly loosened, her hand flattening out to press gently against his chest instead. Her eyes began to fill with tears, her lower lip trembling as she fought to catch her breath.

Richard gently lowered her to the ground, pulling her into his arms as he held her close. “It’s alright, Kahlan,” he whispered into her hair.

“You…you shouldn’t…have come after me…” she cried in hiccoughing gasps for air, clutching his shirt as if terrified if she left go he’d disappear. “I’m too dangerous…I almost hurt you…”

“Kahlan, you didn’t hurt me,” he firmly said, pulling back to look into her watery blue eyes. She had a cut on her cheek bone, agiel burns on her neck and side of her head. He shuddered to think how close to death she had just been before he arrived.

“But I wasn’t in the ConDar,” she murmured. “I…I don’t understand it…”

“It must be the spell Demos put on you,” he replied. “How were you able to confess two Mord’Sith back to back like that and still be able to stand?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head, looking at the bodies lying on the ground around them. “I confessed two others before you even came.”

“I need to get you out of here before any more show up,” he frowned, helping her to her feet. “We need to find some shelter for the night. There’s a bad storm coming.”

Kahlan slowly nodded her head, wiping the tears from her cheeks before turning to find her forgotten pack. Bending over to pick it up, she felt her nose begin to drip again. She quickly wiped at it, finding blood staining her fingers once again.

“Kahlan, are you alright?” Richard quickly asked, taking hold of her arms as he came to stand before her. “Your nose is bleeding.”

“It’s nothing,” she murmured as she swiftly turned away from him, wiping her nose.

“It’s not nothing, Kahlan,” he heatedly replied. “When did it start?”

“Earlier today,” she said, averting her eyes as he worriedly studied her face. “Really, it’s nothing. It’ll stop.”

“Kahlan, I’ve never known you to have nose bleeds before,” he shook his head.

“I don’t know, Richard!” she suddenly cried, frustrated and angered by it all. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, what’s happening to me now or what will happen to me next tomorrow.”

“It’ll be alright, Kahlan,” he softly said, sighing heavily as he tried to rein in his worry for her, but it was useless. It was always a part of him, constantly living in his soul, ready to drown him at any moment.

Kahlan slowly turned away from him, hating herself for losing her temper with him when he had just saved her life yet again. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “You shouldn’t have come after me, Richard.”

“I can’t just sit back and let you go through Creator knows what and not do something to save you,” he heatedly told her, his frustration consuming him as he turned her around and forced her to look at him. 

He had come so close to losing her again, the site of her being attacked by the Mord’Sith like that rattling him to his core. If he hadn’t come when he had… 

Spirits…he couldn’t think about it. Despite his fear, he was still upset with her. The painful sting of it continually lanced through his heart knowing that she had left him, refused to let him help her through this. 

Staring into his warm chocolate eyes, Kahlan could see his anger and heartache reflected there again, reminding her once more how she had managed to hurt him. “All I do is hurt you,” she whispered, her fingers lightly caressing his cheek.

“Leaving me…not knowing what is happening to you,” he began, choking back angry tears that threatened to form. “Spirits, Kahlan! I can’t handle that, can’t handle being away from you. That hurts me more than anything in this world ever could.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” she softly replied.

He reached down and grabbed her hand, his fury still thrumming through him. “Come, we need to find some shelter before it starts to rain,” was his clipped response before leading her from the clearing. “I need to get you out of here before any more Mord’Sith show up.”

Kahlan went willing, allowing him to hold her hand and lead her away from the bodies that littered the ground. She couldn’t help casting a worried glance back over her shoulder, fearful of why they had come for her and wondering who could have possibly sent them.

XXX 

“Bags!” Zedd growled as he paced back and forth, his robes swirling around his feet, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

“Zedd,” Cara hissed his name in admonishment.

“Well, this just isn’t good at all…not at all,” the Wizard fumed. “A marking spell! Spirits! I should have known he’d try something devious like this.”

“Would you please stop pacing and tell me exactly what is going on?” Cara demanded to know, sitting on a bench in the sacred gathering hut of the Aku.

“Demos Rahl cast a marking spell on Kahlan when he brought her back from the dead,” Zedd snapped, more than angry with himself. “I should’ve been paying closer attention, but I was too busy watching for an ambush to listen to what he was actually saying.”

“What is a marking spell?” Cara ground out, growing exasperated with the Wizard who was still pacing up a storm.

“It’s an abominable spell that should’ve never been created,” Zedd ranted, waving his arms wildly in the air.

Cara cast a glance at Odo, Mitta, and Tolla Nakunam who were sitting there watching the fired-up Wizard with wide-eyed fascination. They had obviously never seen anything quite like Zedd before and she was certain they never would again. Despite the head injury he’d received, he still managed to get his robes into a twisted bunch.

“What does the spell do?” Cara tried again with a huff.

“It brings the person under the control of the one who casts the spell,” he explained, pausing to fold his arms against his chest. “It’s similar to confession in that the one who is spelled is forever bound and linked to the one who casts the spell. There is no more free will, the person is almost completely drained of emotions.

“The difference is there is no love involved, no utter mindless devotion to their master. It is like a puppet being controlled by the puppeteer who is pulling the strings. Demos’s mind will be linked with Kahlan’s leaving her completely unable to think for herself or act on her own apart from her master.”

“And how do we stop it?”

“We don’t!” Zedd groused with a huff, throwing his hands up again as he resumed his pacing. “There is no way to break the spell. The only one who can break it is Demos himself and we all know he’ll never do that.”

“There has to be a way,” Tolla Nakunam suddenly piped up.

“The only way I know of is to kill the one who cast the spell,” the Wizard spouted. “It’s going to be next to impossible to get near him. He’s hold up in the People’s Palace behind the D’Haran army and the Mord’Sith. No one is going to be able to touch him.”

“Confessor Kahlan is going to try,” Odo informed them with a smug grin of proud assurance. “She told me herself that she was going after him.”

“And of course Richard will be right behind her,” Cara scowled, shaking her head. She knew they should have stayed together.

“Wherever one goes, the other follows,” Zedd agreed. “There’s no separating those two.”

“They are in love,” Tolla replied with a knowing smile. “Nothing or no one can ever break that especially with those two. You can see how much they love each other. It’s in their eyes.”

“And now that they know they can be together, they’ll be next to impossible to live with,” Cara rolled her eyes. “They won’t be able to keep their hands off each other. We’ll never be able to keep separate again.”

“We had better get this fixed soon,” Zedd scowled. “We still have a stone to find and the Keeper to stop. He’s not going to wait while we try to save Kahlan.”

“We have to save Kahlan or you know that Richard won’t survive it,” Cara said. “We no one will be able to stop the Keeper then.”

“But the prophecy says that as long as the Confessor’s pure heart beats, the Keeper cannot win,” Zedd reminded her. “At least we know that Demos doesn’t want Kahlan dead. He wants her for his own personal use.”

“And that’s supposed to make us all feel better?” Cara huffed. “We all know what he’s going to do to her once he gets his hands on her…and what it’ll do to Richard. It’ll destroy them both.”

“I don’t see that there’s much that we can do until Seeker Richard brings Confessor Kahlan back here,” Mitta suddenly interjected.

“Would holding another gathering of the ancestors’ spirits help any?” Tolla Nakunam asked.

“I don’t see how,” Mitta answered after several long moments. “But we can certainly try it again.”

“You said that Darken Rahl appeared to Richard and Kahlan,” Zedd replied, tapping his bottom lip with his forefinger. “I wonder if he would make another appearance.”

“What would that gain us?” Cara asked.

“I don’t know…maybe nothing,” Zedd sighed heavily. “I just don’t know what else we can do for her. I feel so helpless. I’m afraid that being a Wizard of the First Order means absolutely nothing in a time like this.”

“We’ll find a way through this, Zedd,” Cara softly said. “We always manage to one way or another.”

“I hope you’re right, my dear,” he sadly frowned. “I hope you’re right.”


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 28

Finally finding a wayward pine, Richard quickly led Kahlan inside its dry comforting shelter. They had thankfully been able to escape deeper into the woods without coming across any more Mord’Sith dead set on killing Kahlan. Unfortunately, they hadn’t missed the beginning of the rainstorm.

Richard had gone over it again and again in his mind since finding her, but it made absolutely no sense as to why the Mord’Sith were out to kill Kahlan if Demos Rahl had placed a marking spell on her that would bring her to him. It was ludicrous. It defeated the whole purpose of the spell. Kahlan would be no good to Demos if she was dead.

“Stay here,” he absentmindedly said, wiping the rain from his face. “I’m going to go look for some dry firewood and some food.”

“Richard,” Kahlan softly began, still sensing his anger with her. “I…”

“I’ll be right back,” he murmured before turning and quickly disappearing through the large boughs heavy with pine needles.

Kahlan released a weary breath, sinking to the ground. Her wet clothes were uncomfortable, but she cared little about it at that very moment. She knew that Richard was upset with her and he had every right to be.

She had left him this morning, telling him to stay away from her. How could he not be angry with her? How would he ever love her again? 

He had to know that she only did because of her love for him, her innate need to keep him safe no matter the cost to her. She never would have left him if she didn’t fear for his safety. She was a very real danger to him, knew his strengths as well as his weaknesses, not that there were many. If Demos ordered her to kill him, she feared she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from obeying his commands.

Standing to her feet, Kahlan slipped off her wet clothes, digging into her pack and pulling out the blue dress that Caref had given her. She thoughtfully caressed the soft material, remembering how Richard’s chestnut eyes had filled with such intense desire when he had seen her in it, how he had slowly removed it from her body just before making love to her. It had been so magical in every way.

She knew that she needed to leave now before he returned, getting as far away from him as possible, but she also knew that he’d never let her go no matter what she said. She hated hurting him like this but it was much preferable to taking his life, of knowing that he was no longer in the world.

Sitting down, she pulled her pack into her lap, fishing around until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out a small blue bottle, she held it up before her, contemplating what she should do. She had only partially told Odo the truth about needing the poisonous root. She did intend to use it on Demos if she had to, but more than that, she had wanted it for herself, needed it to end her life if she felt herself losing her mind.

She knew that she had made Richard promise to end her life if he couldn’t save her, but she also knew her Seeker. He wouldn’t be able to bring himself to kill her if it came down to it. He’d risk everything to save her instead, to get her back.

It both warmed her and terrified her.

“What are you doing with that?”

The hard edge to his voice broke through her tormented thoughts, bringing her back to the wayward pine that shielded them from the storm. She looked up to find him standing there just inside the boughs staring at her, his body rigid with the anger flowing through him at that moment.

“I’m going to use it to stop Demos,” she softly said.

“We both know that’s not true,” he bitterly spat out.

The fury and anguish that blazed in his chestnut eyes made her heart constrict knowing that she had put it there. She quickly averted her eyes, unable to meet his intense gaze directed at her. She tightened her grip on the bottle, her only way out of this horrifying mess.

“Richard…” she began, pausing to bite her bottom lip.

“Do I mean so little to you…that you’re so willing to just throw your life...our future together…away?”

His voice was like a deadly hiss of pain, so low that she wasn’t certain that she had heard him at first or if she just didn’t want to hear what he had just said to her. The way his voice had cracked, the sheer anguish that filled his every word was like a thousand daggers to her heart nearly taking her breath away.

She could tell by the way that he was holding himself, the way his hands were balled into fists that it was taking every ounce of strength that he had to keep from losing himself to the emotions ripping through him then. She knew in that moment that she had hurt him far worse than she could ever possibly begin to understand.

Kahlan slowly got to her feet, but still kept her distance from him. “Richard, you know that I love you with my whole being,” she softly replied. “I was only going to use it if I absolutely had to.”

“I told you that I would stop you if I had to,” he ground out, his jaw clenched, his dark eyes piercing her straight through. “You made me promise that I would, Kahlan. Do you know how hard that was for me? I don’t make promises I don’t intend to keep.”

“I know, but I wasn’t sure that you’d actually be able to go through with it,” she admitted. “I needed to know that I wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone…hurt you.”

Richard suddenly strode towards her, coming to a stop right before her. He was suddenly looming so large before her, so handsome and yet so full of hurt. He gripped her arm and roughly snatched the bottle away from her before she had even realized it.

“And this…this isn’t going to hurt me? Destroy me?” he yelled at her, his anger flowing like hot lava through his veins as he held the bottle up before her face. “This isn’t just about you, Kahlan…not after everything we’ve been through, everything we mean to each other.”

Her chin fell to her chest as she released a ragged breath. Tears burned in her eyes as she fought for the words that would help him see that she had only done this for him. She squeezed her eyes closed against the pain that thundered through her head, nausea rolling in the pit of her stomach again.

She swallowed hard to keep from vomiting again right there. “I’m sorry,” she softly replied, her voice filled with tears as well as her heartache. “I was just trying to keep you safe from me.”

Richard watched her for a long moment, his hammering heart about to burst. His eyes fell closed as he lowered his arm, not about to give the poison back to her. He couldn’t help the anger that inundated him, the anguish the consumed him. If he hadn’t found her when he had, she’d have been killed.

He never wanted her to ever know the feel of an agiel and yet she had felt it multiple times all at once. The site of her being attacked like that would haunt his sleep for years to come. He was still amazed she had managed to remain conscious, how she’d been able to even get to her feet after that.

“You dying again is unacceptable to me, Kahlan,” he said, his tone a little gentler but still full of the hurt that was eating away at him.

“And you think that me losing complete control of myself, torturing you to the point of death is acceptable to me?” she suddenly hissed, the terror of what she had seen returning to the forefront of her thoughts causing raw panic to sear through her like a branding iron. “Cutting you slowly with my dagger, pulling flesh back from bone as you scream and writhe in agony? Do you for once believe I could ever live with myself for doing that to the only man that I have ever loved?”

She was screaming now as she jabbed him in the chest with her finger, forcing him backwards. “And at the same time Mord’Sith are pressing their agiels into your gaping wounds while you beg me repeatedly to end your life?”

“Kahlan…” he spoke, horrified. The panic that was so wild in her eyes was unlike anything that he’d ever seen in her before. 

“I was covered in blood in that vision, Richard…your blood and I…I didn’t care…Spirits! I didn’t care!” she cried, falling to her knees in overwhelming grief. “I didn’t care…I just…I didn’t…”

Richard’s head fell back in guilt, the sound of Kahlan’s sobs hurting him more than any agiel ever could. He’d had no idea the vision that Demos had given her, the haunting images that he had imprinted in her mind. He wanted more than anything to banish those memories for her.

Falling to his knees before her, Richard gently gathered her up in his arms, the sound of the rolling thunder and loud cracks of lightning drowning out the sounds of her weeping. He tilted his head, kissing the top of her head as he just held her.

“I’m sorry, Kahlan,” he finally told her. “I had no idea.”

“I don’t want to die…but if it saves you, keeps you from enduring what I saw…Richard, I’d plunge the dagger into my chest myself and not even think twice about it,” she cried. “My life is nothing if you’re not in it…I’m nothing…”

“Kahlan, you are not nothing! You are everything to me!” he heatedly stated, pulling her into his lap and holding her close. “I’m not going to give up until you’re safe, until you’re free from Demos’s spell on you.”

“It may be too late,” she whispered, drawing a shuddering breath.

“Why? What’s happening?” he asked, his gaze narrowing as he brushed her wet hair out of her face.

“I can feel that I’m losing myself,” she softly replied, swallowing back tears. “It’s getting harder and harder to control my magic, my anger. I’m starting to forget who I am.”

“I know it’s hard, but you need to keep fighting, Kahlan,” he firmly told her.

“I’m so tired, Richard,” she murmured, her eyes falling closed as she pressed her forehead into the crook of his neck, savoring his presence, the feeling of being safe that suddenly encompassed her as she absorbed him. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. The headaches are getting worse. They’re making me sick.”

“I’ll take care of you, Kahlan,” he gently told her, stroking her wet hair and relishing the feel of her in his arms once more. “I will always take care of you no matter what happens.”

“I’m so sorry…” she whispered against his lips, kissing him softly. “I love you so much, Richard,” she murmured, her lips so soft and sweet against his that it was making his head spin.

She teased his lower lip, slowly driving him mad as she built his pleasure. He softly moaned, his hands roaming over her back. She shifted to straddle him, rising up on her knees and taking his face in her hands. 

Richard kissed her in return, tilting his head back and deepening the kiss despite his anger with her. “Spirits, I’ve missed you,” he murmured against her lips. “I was so terrified I wasn’t going to be able to find you and then when I did…Kahlan, they were trying to kill you…”

“I know…it’s alright,” she softly told him. “I’m better now that you’re here with me.”

“Don’t ever leave me again,” he pleaded, his hands stroking up her back to grip the nape of her neck. “I won’t survive it, Kahlan.”

His desperate hunger for her took over once more as he kissed her lips, the feel of her in arms again driving him crazy. It didn’t help that she was positively breathtaking to him or the fact that she was again wearing the dress that made his pulse race wildly. It also didn’t help seeing the marks that she bore on her fair skin from their love making, letting the whole world know what they had done or that she belonged to no one but him.

“Ric-hard…” she moaned as he kissed along her throat, her fingers raking through his hair.

He could still scarcely believe that he had won the heart of the powerful Mother Confessor, that she was his in almost every way imaginable. Now, he just wanted to marry her, build a forever with her, but he needed to wait until after the Keeper had been stopped. Then, he could truly make her his, start the family that he so desperately wanted to have with her…if they hadn’t started it already.

The thought only made him harder, more desperate for her. He instinctively bunched up her dress around her waist, anxious to be completely surrounded by her once more. She began unlacing his pants, needing him now more than ever.

“Kahlan…” he panted, knowing deep inside that he needed to stop this, but he wanted her so desperately, needed her more than the very air he breathed. “We…we shouldn’t…”

“I need you…Richard,” she breathlessly replied as she kissed behind his ear, her hands finally freeing him. “When I’m with you…I know who I am…where I’m at. I’m home.”

With a throaty growl, he planted hot wet kisses along her chest as she took him inside of her, a hiss of pleasure escaping his lips. She began to rock against him, pulling on his hair as his tongue dipped beneath the edge of the material to tickle her breasts.

Kahlan knew that she needed to leave, to get to Demos before she lost herself forever, but the feel of him so hard inside of her, filling her so very full was shoving aside all reason, suppressing all other thoughts but him.

She wanted him as much as possible before she was no longer herself, before all she’d ever know was Demos Rahl and his sick sadistic touch. She cringed at the thought of him raping her over and over again and her letting him.

Richard felt her suddenly tense in his arms as they rocked together as one body, grinding against each other. Just as he was about to pull back, she suddenly relaxed again. She kissed his shoulder, her teeth grazing his skin there. He buried his face in the crook of her neck as he murmured her name, his tongue sneaking out to taste her skin as his lips kissed and sucked on her pulse point, keeping her pressed close against him.

“Richard,” she moaned, her head falling back. “Spirits!”

Their bodies began to move a little faster, their momentum escalating as the overwhelming need to complete with each other took over as he pushed himself deeper inside of her. She felt her magic rising like a deadly tidal wave as his fingers dug almost painfully into her hips, overjoyed that she no longer had to stop him or let go of her lover.

She came with a strangled cry, the warm feel of him emptying himself so deep inside of her giving her heart wings, hoping they had just created a little life within her. She felt so guilty wishing for a baby with him now with all the turmoil churning around them both, but she wanted to create a family with him, to be the mother of his children more than anything in this world.

Richard held her trembling form close against him, keeping them flesh against moist flesh as they came down from ecstasy. He gently brushed his lips against her shoulder and collarbone, finding the sensitive spot behind her ear and teasing it.

He never wanted to leave this place, never wanted to let her go. He wanted to stay like this with her forever, buried deep inside of her as one body. He loved the peaceful moments just after finding release with her, the intimate vulnerability that encompassed them both as they just held each other, kissing softly and savoring the love they shared for one another.

“We should probably leave soon,” she murmured, nuzzling his cheek with her nose, the thunder rolling in the distance.

He sighed contentedly as he tightened his hold on her, not about to give her up just yet. “Not yet,” he replied, kissing her ear. “I just want to hold you for a little longer before I tend to your wounds. Besides, you need to sleep after confessing four Mord’Sith. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“I would love to wake up with you like this in the morning…every morning, but I don’t think Zedd and Cara would be too happy about it, though” she chuckled softly as she played with the hair that hung along his neck.

“They can have their own campsite and we’ll have ours,” he suggested with a grin. 

“I don’t see Cara allowing that to happen,” she tilted her head as she gazed into the eyes that seemed to know her very soul.

“Well, I’m not about to go without making love to you once we meet up with them,” he frowned as he ran his rough hands over her smooth thighs. “I will be pulling you into the woods for some alone time every chance I possibly can, Confessor.”

“You better, Seeker,” she seductively purred, kissing him hard before getting up off of him.

Richard groaned as she left his lap. He quickly tucked himself back inside his pants, getting up to find his pack, pulling a small jar free. Making his way to where she was spreading out her blanket, he settled down on the ground in front of her.

“Here,” he said. “This aum will help with the burns.”

“It’s not that bad,” she replied.

“Kahlan, I was tortured by Denna,” he reminded her. “I know what an agiel burn feels like.”

“I’m sorry,” she softly said, her hand finding his cheek, caressing it lightly before falling away. “I wish I could’ve gotten to you sooner.”

Dipping the tips of his fingers into the aum, he carefully began to rub it on her cheekbone. “You saved my life,” he frowned as he worked to ease her pain. “And I’m going to save yours now.”

“I have to do this myself, Richard,” she frowned. “I’m afraid you can’t help me this time.”

“I’m not about to let you go into the People’s Palace to face Demos alone, Kahlan,” he firmly stated.

Pulling her long hair aside, he lightly ran his fingers along her neck, the site of another agiel burn there causing his heart to constrict. He couldn’t bear the thought of her being alone with Demos. She’d endured so much at Darken Rahl’s hands. He knew it was only going to be so much worse with Demos.

“If I pretend that he’s changed me already, I can get close to him and confess him,” she told him. “I won’t be able to do that if I know you’re there too. I’m terrified of what he’ll do to you, Richard.”

“We’ll figure something out,” he promised her, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead, one of the few places she hadn’t been attacked by the Mord’Sith. “I’m not going to let him touch you...ever.”


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 29

Demos screamed until he was hoarse, the thrilling release mixed with pain setting every nerve-ending in his body on fire as Lucinda pressed the agiel a little harder against his skin. He could hear his bones beginning to crack under the strain of the magical weapon, but it only seemed to heighten his release even more.

He collapsed weakly onto the bed, shuddering and shivering, Lucinda following him. Both were panting hard, sweat creating a sheen on their bodies. Demos clawed at the blood-stained sheets beneath him, fisting them in his hands against the pain that still racked his body.

He pressed his forehead against the mattress, the sensation of the sheets against his skin almost too much to withstand. He had definitely pushed himself to his limits this time, allowing Lucinda to do the insane to him.

Looking to his side, he gazed into Lucinda’s eyes still hazy with rapture, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. He leaned in, his tongue sneaking out to lick the red fluid from her skin, his lips following. She sighed contentedly, groaning as she rolled onto her side to face him.

Staring into his eyes, Lucinda reached out, gently erasing the tears that had collected on his eyelashes. It had been the most intense, most erotic session yet, drawing them even closer through the pain as well as the pleasure in a bond so powerful nothing could break it.

“Do you need me to get the healer for you?” she murmured, her fingertips caressing his cheekbone before finding his hair.

“No, not yet,” he rasped, his voice still rough from his screams. “I just want to lay here with you for a while. Besides, I’m sure we’re far from done for the night.”

A smile spread across Lucinda’s face as she stroked his hair. “I am more than up for round two…” she leaned in, kissing him seductively. “Three…” she kissed him again. “And four…” she purred as she bit down on his bottom lip, drawing blood.

He growled low in his chest, his body tensing with the pain that shot through him. She dragged her tongue over his lip, sucking hard and erasing the blood that she had just drawn. He smashed his mouth against hers, his tongue suddenly probing her mouth and tasting his own blood, arousing him all over again.

Before Demos knew it, Lucinda was crawling on top of him, rolling him onto his back and pinning him to the mattress. He cried out from the pain that jolted through him, the fractured bones he’d already received from her causing his body to spasm painfully, taking his breath away.

She leaned down over him, rubbing her chest against his and eliciting a husky moan. She ran her tongue along his throat, over his chin to his mouth. Her fingers dug into the agiel burns that already marked his body, pressing into the wounds and bringing tears to his eyes once more.

“What would like me to do next for you, my Lord?” she purred against his lips, interlacing their fingers and pinning his hands above his head.

Demos grunted his satisfaction, bucking his hips against hers. He watched as her eyes fell closed, a sharp intake of breath filling his ears as her mouth fell open. His hungry gaze wondered over her face, taking in the purple bruise that was already taking shape on her cheek from where he had hit her with his fist.

“Break me…if you think you can…” he taunted. “Take me to my limits, Mistress. Don’t stop…even if I beg you to.”

Lucinda stared at him, her lips still parted in stunned disbelief. “Are you serious?” she whispered, her eyes roaming his face searching for the truth.

Many of their sessions had to her dominating, breaking him down within certain limits, but never had he ever asked her to break him to the very bounds of his limits. A couple of times she had been certain she’d come close, but she had immediately pulled back out of fear for him.

“Yes, break me,” he said again, his voice firm with resolve.

She stared at him for several long moments, her mind racing with ways to talk him out of it, but finding none. She knew she would always give him anything that he wanted or asked. She was helpless when it came to him.

At last she spoke, her voice soft and gentle, surprising even herself. “What did your mother do to you?”

The words had slipped out before she could stop them as she brushed her lips tenderly against his, still keeping him pinned to the bed beneath her. She wished that she could take it back, fearing his anger with her for asking him about his mother.

Instead, his eyes seemed to soften ever so subtly, stunning her with the tenderness she suddenly saw there. “She saved me…showed me more love than any mother could,” he softly replied. “She taught me passion as well as pain, strength as well as what it was like to be weak, powerless. And I will never be weak again.”

Lucinda could have sworn she saw a tear forming in his eye before it suddenly disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and the moment was gone. Releasing his hands, she pressed her body fully against the length of his, her fingers find his hair. She kissed him deeply, possessively as if he was all hers and no one else’s.

And he would be no one else’s as long as there was breath in her lungs. He was hers to have, to dominate, to love. The Mother Confessor was as good as dead and she couldn’t have been happier about it.

Demos’s body immediately tensed, his muscles contracting in response to the Mord’Sith’s personal attention. He gritted his teeth against the searing pain of the agiel as she reached down and pressed it into his inner thigh. He clutched as the sheets, twisting it in his fists and swallowing back the scream of agony that lodged in his throat as Lucinda kissed him hard.

Pleasure suddenly washed through him like a calming flood as she took him inside of her. The ecstasy quickly evaporated as the agile found his hip, the death grip she had on his body quickly pushing him to the edge already.

Thoughts of Kahlan quickly filled his mind as he bucked up into her, silently begging her to take him even further. He wanted the Mother Confessor here with him now, riding him instead of the Mord’Sith on top of him now. He would dominate her like nothing she’d ever known before.

 _“Just let go, Kahlan,”_ he silently thought. _“It’ll be so much easier for you if you just give in and come to me. Forget your past and come be my future…”_

Lucinda smiled against his throat as she scraped her teeth against his skin before biting down and sucking hard. He began to squirm and write beneath her as she moved. It gave her great joy giving her Lord Rahl such intense pleasure.

The strangled cry of Kahlan’s name on his lips caused her blood to suddenly run cold, her rage flaring hotly in her core. She pulled back, staring at him in confused hurt.

“What did you just say?” she panted heavily, sweat trickling down her body as she glared hotly at him.

Demos looked up at her through hooded eyes hazy with the rapture she had been building within him, stunned that she had stopped so soon. “What?” he growled, angered that she had stopped.

Without thinking, Lucinda leaned down with a sneer on her lips, her agiel coming within a breath of his throat just below his chin as she clutched a handful of hair tightly in her fist. “You called out for Kahlan,” she hissed, her green eyes flashing with hot jealousy.

“The link…with her mind…must be intensifying,” he grinned widely, dragging his tongue along his bottom lip as he fought to catch his breath.

Enraged, Lucinda smashed her lips against his, the agiel slamming up beneath his chin. She held it there as she kissed him until she could taste blood in his mouth, his body seizing beneath her. She finally pulled back, releasing him from the agiel. She watched in satisfaction as his eyes rolled back into his head, his body suddenly going limp as he hung precariously between awareness and unconsciousness.

Lucinda leaned in close, dragging her tongue across his ear before finally whispering into it. “I’m going to break you until you won’t even remember her name. All you’ll know is me.”

Before he could even form a response, the Mord’Sith was tying his arms above his head to the headboard. She began to ride him again with wild abandon, a wicked gleam in her eyes as the agiel slammed hard against his body.

XXX

Richard rolled onto his side, his hand instinctively searching for her even in his sleepy state, needing to feel her skin melded against his. He opened his eyes, his heart stopping at the feel of nothing beside him.

He growled angrily to himself as he leapt to his feet in panic, terrified that Kahlan had left him again. He searched for his pants in the dim light the smoldering remains of their fire allowed within the confines of the wayward pine when he suddenly felt someone watching him.

Pausing, he was stunned to find Kahlan sitting on the far side of the pine, as far away from him as she could possibly get and still be sheltered by the heavy pine boughs. She sat with her legs drawn up, her knees tucked under her chin and a dagger gripped tightly in her hand.

She was already dressed in her traveling clothes, her pack resting next to her on the ground. Her eyes were closed, her hair still somewhat tousled from making love with him during the night.

“Kahlan,” he gently called as she slowly approached her, not wanting to frighten her.

Her eyes instantly flew open, her face filled with wild panic as she stared at him. She tried to inch further away from him, but there was no place to go. She lifted her dagger, pointing it directly at him in warning.

“Stay back,” she hissed, her eyes clouded with confusion as she stared at him.

“Kahlan,” he frowned, holding his hands up before him, not that he could have done much at that moment standing before her naked. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?”

“Kahlan…” she softly repeated her name in wonderment as if testing it out to see if it was truly hers. “Is that my name?”

“Yes, you’re name is Kahlan Amnell,” he gently said, his pulse beginning to race with worry.

He watched as the furrowed lines in her forehead deepened as she considered his words, her eyes suspiciously roaming over his body in obvious curiosity. He willingly let her take in as much of him as she wanted, hoping that it might spark memories of the passion that they had shared together.

A rosy glow suddenly touched her cheeks as she openly stared at him, a sense of peace momentarily filling her eyes as if she might have remembered something for a brief flicking moment. “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”

An amused smile unexpectedly tugged at the corners of his mouth as he lowered his hands and sat down in front of her, keeping a good distance between them when all he wanted was to hold her, reassure her as well as himself that she was going to be alright.

“We made love last night…remember?” he softly smiled, the memories still fresh in his mind, so fiery and sensual and erotic.

“We did?” she replied, tilting her head to the side as she stared at him, her dagger lowering a little as she continued to stare at his muscular body.

Richard nodded his head, doing his best to keep his voice calm and even despite the fear that was making his heart thump wildly in his chest. “A couple of times,” he told her, the thrill of their union suddenly filling his voice. “It was amazing, Kahlan.”

“Who are you?” she murmured, fighting to remember what her brain wouldn’t allow her to at that moment.

She wanted so desperately to remember this handsome man sitting naked before her. The site of him sitting there across from her without any clothes on was setting her blood on fire and awakening a desire deep within her that confused her. She felt so drawn to him, suddenly so safe with him and she couldn’t figure out why.

“I’m Richard, remember?” he asked. “I’m the Seeker and you’re the Mother Confessor.”

“Mother Confessor…” she softly repeated the title.

She abruptly shifted closer to him, the dagger still in her hand, but seemed to be temporarily forgotten. “Are we in love?”

Richard smiled softly at her question, his warm brown eyes sparkling. “Very much so,” he told her, slowly reaching out to her.

His heart sank as she flinched, the forgotten dagger coming up again in warning. She paused then as he gently slipped a lock of hair behind her ear, his hand coming to rest against her cheek, his thumb caressing her cheekbone.

“You’re my Kahlan…my perfect love,” he softly said, his eyes suddenly moist with tears. “Please remember…come back to me.”

Kahlan stared into his chocolate eyes, losing herself in the love and longing that shined so brightly there. It took her breath away as he seemed to reach right in and unlock her mind, her memories slowly returning to her once more.

“Richard?” she softly gasped in realization.

She dropped her dagger and threw herself into his arms, burying herself in his welcoming embrace. “I’m so sorry,” she cried. “I…I woke up and I didn’t know where I was at or who you were. I was so scared.”

“It’s alright, Kahlan,” he told her, rubbing her back. “I’m just glad that you remember me now. I’d be more than happy to remind you of what we did together the last few nights if you’d like.”

He was trying to lighten the mood not only for her, but for him as well. He was quickly losing her and it terrified him to the core of his being. When he had awoken and she didn’t recognize him it had scared the life out of him. He feared that it had finally happened.

Kahlan chuckled softly through her tears as she pulled back to look at him. “I remember it very well now,” she replied, kissing him deeply and relishing his nearness. “You can always help me remember again though.”

“I need to get your better before we make love again,” he regretfully told her as his hand came to rest on the nape of her neck. “Once the rift is sealed and you are finally safe, I plan on making love to you every morning and every night for the rest of your life, Kahlan Amnell.”

“I love that thought,” she smiled his special smile.

“It’s not just a thought,” he told her, nuzzling his nose against hers. “It’s a promise.”

Kahlan swiftly leaned in, connecting their lips again, her need for him never dying. She dragged her fingernails over his chest as her tongue slipped inside the warm cavern of his mouth, tasting him all over again.

Richard groaned at the feel of her tongue stroking his mouth, the way she had crawled into his lap as if she couldn’t get nearly close enough to him. She was quickly driving him wild, but he knew that he had to stop this before he couldn’t.

“Kahlan…Spirits,” he gasped as he broke the kiss. “We can’t…not until I know you’re you again.”

“I am me,” she lightly nipped at his lower lip, teasing him even further.

“Kahlan,” he moaned as she kissed behind his ear, his hands gripping her waist tightly. “I…I don’t want to take advantage of you when you keep losing yourself.”

“I want you to take advantage of me,” she purred seductively in his ear. “Don’t you want me anymore?”

“Spirits, Kahlan,” he hissed as she reached between them to take him in her hand. “I will always want you. Nothing will ever change that.”

He grabbed her face and kissed her hard, reaching deep down inside of him to stop her when all he wanted was so much more of her. He reluctantly grabbed hold of her wrist and forced her to let go of him. He pressed his forehead against hers, fighting to control the arousal thrumming through him.

Opening his eyes, he found himself staring into her blue eyes filled with hurt. She quickly averted her gaze, biting her bottom lip in embarrassment. “I’m sorry…” she whispered as she tried to disengage herself from his hold on her.

Richard tightened his hold on her, forcing her to stay where she was. “Never apologize for wanting to make love with me, Kahlan,” he firmly said, gazing deep into her eyes. “I want you more you can possibly know right now, but I want to wait to be with you again until I know for sure you’re going to be alright.”

Kahlan pulled herself free from his hold on her, wrapping her arms around herself. “You got what you wanted and now you’re done with me,” she growled, fury replacing the hurt. “Now that you’ve had me, you’re ready to move onto someone else.”

“Kahlan, you know that’s not true,” he firmly stated as he leapt to his feet, his arousal quickly forgotten in the wake of the sudden change in his Confessor again. “I love you and want to marry you someday.”

“You’re just saying that out of guilt because I figured you out,” she accused him, her blue eyes burning with rage now. “You stole my virtue and now you’re bored with me. The excitement is gone for you now.”

Richard knew that this wasn’t his Kahlan talking now, but it didn’t ease the sting of her words or assuage his anger any. He strode towards her, grabbing hold of her arms and keeping her in front of him.

“You know that I have loved you since the day I met you in Hartland,” he angrily ground out. “What I feel for you is not just some physical, superficial love. I love you so much that your magic can’t touch me, Kahlan.”

“And now that you’ve had what you’ve always wanted, you’re ready to move on to someone else, someone prettier? Sexier?” she snapped. “Maybe you’d prefer I wear red leather and dye my hair blond.”

Richard stared in stunned disbelief, her delusion of him wanting her to look like Cara the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. “I can’t believe that you would ever think something like that,” he said with a deadly calm, doing his best to rein in his anger.

He turned away from her, hiding the hurt that she had just caused him. He knew deep down that this wasn’t his Kahlan talking, but he couldn’t help the tiny voice inside that kept telling him that she truly believed it some way. Why would she say it if a small part of her didn’t truly think this way?

Finding his clothes, he quickly began to dress. “I’m taking you back to the Aku,” he coldly stated. “Hopefully they’ve found Zedd and Cara by now.”

“I said I’m not going back there,” she declared as she grabbed her pack. “I’m going to the People’s Palace and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

“Kahlan, you’re sick, you’re not thinking right,” he tried again as he buckled his scabbard around his waist. “You need to trust me. I’m doing what is best for you right now.”

“Or what’s best for you,” she shot back. “Want to go back and discover what it’s like to be with an Aku woman? Wonder if she will be better than me?”

Richard ground his teeth, gathering his things and shoving them into his pack. “We’re going to back to the Aku so that Zedd can help you, nothing more. I’m losing you Kahlan and I won’t stop until I get you back.”

“I said I’m not going with you,” she yelled at him.

“Kahlan, I don’t want to force you, but I will if I have to,” he said, standing to his feet. 

“What are you going to do?” she asked. “Bind me with rope like my father did?”

Richard released a ragged, furious breath in an attempt to soothe the hurt inside. “I’m not going to hurt you, but you have to trust me.”

“I’m going after Demos with or without you,” she told him making her way out of the wayward pine and out into dawn’s early morning light. “You can either come with me or go back to the Aku. It’s up to you, Seeker.”


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 30

They walked in agonizing silence for well over two hours, neither saying a single word as the crushing tension continued to fester and grow like an ugly virus. Richard was beyond hurt by Kahlan’s words despite the fact that he knew that it wasn’t really his lover saying those things, but the damn spell that Demos has cast on her.

But it had still been her beautiful mouth he loved to devour that had said those things, her captivating voice that he still heard echoing in his ears. He couldn’t help the nagging uncertainty in the back of his mind that kept him wondering if a small part of her had truly always felt that way, feared he would use her and then leave her.

It made the hot anger that rankled inside of him like burning embers flare even hotter, the idea of Kahlan even thinking or believing for a single moment that her body was the only thing he had ever wanted stroking the flames of that fury.

How could she think that he was that kind of a man? Hadn’t he proven his love for her over and over again over the last year and a half? Spirits, she was everything to him. Everything.

He felt his chest tighten with the fury that continued to pump through him. He knew this wasn’t his Kahlan, but it did little to ease the pain that throbbed with every beat of his heart or cool the burn of his anger. 

The things that she had said to him had to have been based on some inner fear, some subconscious insecurity that had laid hidden in the dark recesses of her mind, finally coming to light because of the marking spell, revealing it as a genuine truth she hadn’t wanted to voice. 

What other things was she hiding from him, other fears and thoughts about him that he didn’t know yet?

His fingers absentmindedly circled the hilt of his sword, repeating the familiar pattern his fingertips had unconsciously created since leaving the wayward pine. He knew the magic infused in his weapon was feeding his anger, but he didn’t care at that point.

His heart hurt, dark fear consumed his soul and fury was a bitter taste on his tongue as he ground his teeth. If he didn’t find a way to break this marking spell soon, Kahlan was going to be lost to him forever, his lover nothing more than a pawn in his brother’s hands and a toy to feed his lust in his bed.

Bile rose in the back of his throat as his mind began to wander, taking him to dark sinful places he didn’t want to go. Images of Demos on top of her, raping and degrading her flooded his mind causing him to tremble with the fury boiling within.

Nothing would keep him from cutting his brother to pieces with his sword this time. Nothing.

Kahlan cast a nervous sidelong glance at her Seeker. She could feel his fury radiating off of him in fiery undulating waves. She fought the overwhelming urge to put more distance between them, but she knew it would only add to the pain that she’d already carved out in his heart this morning.

She still couldn’t believe the horrible things that she had said to him nor would she ever forget the look of grief and utter despair that had seeped into his face at that moment. She had stoked his anger, fueled his insecurities as her own had suddenly been awakened within her.

She didn’t know what had possessed her in those moments, what drove her to say such cruel cutting things to him. It was as if she had almost blacked out in those moments, something invading her body and clouding her mind, forcing her to say those things to him.

She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, but the words were beginning to sound hollow even to her, so very empty and meaningless when she just kept driving a dagger into his heart with her hurtful words.

How much longer would it be before it was her hand thrusting that dagger into his chest instead of her tongue?

She internally shuddered with the terrifying thought. She couldn’t stand the concept of taking his life or this suffocating tension between them. She felt like she was being smothered, making it difficult to draw air into her lungs. It was driving her crazy, more so than she felt she was already becoming.

“I’m so very sorry, Richard,” she softly suddenly heard herself say before she had even realized she had opened her mouth.

Richard hadn’t been certain that he’d heard her at first until he glanced at her and saw the tears glistening in the sunlight on her cheeks, the deep anguish that veiled her beautiful face. It pricked his heart.

“It’s alright,” he coolly replied, his every muscle still drawn tight as he looked straight ahead of him, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

“No…no, it’s not, Richard,” she began again, her voice strained and tentative, so unlike the powerful authoritative voice of the Mother Confessor.

She felt nothing like her title, nothing but an empty broken shell of the woman she once had been. She was slowly losing her mind, could feel it slipping like grains of sand from her grasp with every breath she drew, drawing her much closer to a man who would use her in ways that she couldn’t even begin to imagine nor wanted to.

“Kahlan, you’re not yourself,” he tightly said, keeping his attention focused straight ahead of him. “I get that.”

“It’s no excuse for hurting you like that,” she replied, wishing he would at least look at her. Her stomach was a rolling, churning sea of nausea and grief, fear and guilt. She wanted to vomit. “All I ever do is hurt you no matter how hard I try not to.”

Seconds seemed to run into minutes as she waited for a response from him. She wished that he’d say something…anything, yell at her, scream or cry, anything but this cold, detached presence that was suddenly so distant from her that she feared she’d never get him back.

“Richard, please…say something,” she softly cried, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Richard suddenly stopped to look at her, the pain in his brown eyes nearly taking her legs from under her. “Do you really think that I want Cara over her?”

Even though not spoken very loudly, there was no missing the fury that burned deep within, radiating through his eyes. She could practically feel the flames of it licking her skin as he stared at her in utter bewilderment.

Before she could form a response, he spoke again, his voice coming rough and hard and burning like acid. “And how could you even believe for a single moment that I only ever wanted you for your body and nothing more? That all you mean to me is sex and the pleasure I could take from you?”

Kahlan’s eyes fell closed as she fought to find her voice, searched for the words that would make everything alright between them again. “Richard, I didn’t mean any of those things that I said to you,” she managed to say. “I don’t even know where it came from or what I’ve said until it’s too late. It’s like waking from a nightmare to find it’s not a terrible dream but reality.”

“They must still hold some truth to it,” he bitterly replied, crossing his arms against his chest. “There must be some part of you that believes that I’m the kind of man who would use you like that, take you and throw you away like you were nothing to me.”

“I have never thought of you like that,” she heatedly responded. “I know you love me, Richard. If you didn’t love me so wholly you wouldn’t be immune to my magic.”

“And what about Cara? What makes you think for even a moment that I want her when all I’ve ever wanted, ever dreamed about was you?”

His voice was rising, losing a measure of the calmness that it had once held. His words were more painful than a fist could ever deliver, reaching in and wrenching her heart from her chest.

“At one time…I…I feared you did want Cara,” she ashamedly admitted as she averted her eyes in embarrassment. “I was scared because Cara’s so beautiful and seductive. She could’ve given you everything that you needed, everything that I couldn’t give you.”

Richard watched as tears silently slipped down her cheeks, her heartache so palpable as she laid her heart bare before him that he suddenly forgot how to breathe. He instinctively moved closer to stand before her, his hand finding her hair in a desperate need to touch her.

“Yes, Cara is all those things, but, Kahlan…she’s not you…no one could ever possibly be you,” he told her, his intense gaze sending a shiver up her spine. “You’re the only one I love; you’re the one who owns my heart. I don’t want anyone, but you. And even if I had never found a way around your magic, just having you in my life would’ve been enough for me.”

“But at the time, I didn’t think that I could give you what you needed, what you deserved, Richard,” she cried. “I didn’t think I could give you the family that you wanted to have.”

“Kahlan, all I’ve ever wanted was you,” he said, wiping her tears from her cheeks with the tips of his fingers. “I love being able to make love with you,” he continued, the glow that suddenly filled his face as he talked about being with her warming her heart. “But you mean more to me than just the incredible physical pleasure we can bring each other.”

“It’s just that you are such an amazing man and deserve only the very best, Richard,” she shook her head. “I didn’t want you to settle for something less with me when you could’ve had it all with someone else…someone like Cara.”

“I have the very best,” he smiled softly, touched by her words. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted standing right here in front of me. You are the most beautiful, most seductive woman I have ever met. You set my blood on fire, Kahlan. You do things to me; make me feel things I’ve never experienced with another woman.”

“I love you so much I can hardly breathe sometimes,” she choked out. “It’s killing me inside to see how I keep hurting you. You have to let me go until this over.”

“I know it’s not really you, Kahlan,” he said, hooking her hair behind her ear. “I won’t lie and tell you that it doesn’t hurt me when you say things like you did this morning, but it doesn’t change my love for you in any way. Nothing could ever touch that, Kahlan. And I refuse to leave you no matter what happens.”

She leaned in, kissing him softly. “I’m so terrified of losing you,” she murmured against his lips as she absorbed his scent that made her almost delirious with want for him. 

“I love you, Kahlan,” he confessed, kissing her in return. “You’re not going to lose me. We’ll stop Demos, find the Stone and then we can have the life that we’ve dreamed of.”

“I’m holding you to that,” she smiled her special smile.

Richard watched as Kahlan’s smile abruptly faded away, his concern rising as she squeezed her eyes shut. “Kahlan,” he said. “Are you alright?” 

Kahlan suddenly dropped to her knees in pain, gripping her head in her hands. She quickly turned, vomiting in the grass as Richard quickly knelt beside her, holding her hair back out of her face.

_“Give in, Kahlan…let yourself be free…”_

“No…no,” she softly cried, shaking her head. “Leave me alone!”

“Kahlan, what is it?” Richard asked, fear beginning to swell like a thunderhead in his soul.

_“Bring him to me, Kahlan…”_

Tears began to brim in her blue eyes again as she held her head, blood beginning to leak from her nose as she gritted her teeth against the incredible pain that lanced through her. She felt her hand begin to reach for her dagger in her boot, her muscles coiled tight in desperate resistance to the orders thrumming through her mind.

_“Bring me my brother, my Confessor…”_

“NO!” she screamed, her head falling back, her arm held in mid-air as she fought against the urges that were becoming too hard to ignore.

Richard watched in horror as something took control of Kahlan’s body, her arm hovering, fingers trembling as she fought to take back control. Blood trickled from her nose, tears leaked from her eyes as she her body strained and shuddered. Her face was ghostly pale, her eyes opening and flashing with something he couldn’t even begin to describe.

“Stay with me, Kahlan!” Richard demanded, moving in front of her and gripping her by her arms. “Focus on me, Kahlan. Stay with me!”

“Run…please, Richard…run…” she sobbed. “He…he wants me to hurt you…to bring you to him…”

“I’m not leaving you, Kahlan!” he growled. 

“Please, Richard!” she begged as she shook violently. It was as if the ConDar was at war with the marking spell, each fighting for control of the mighty Confessor as her eyes swirled to black to red and back to blue again. “You have to get away from me…now!”

“Damn it, Kahlan!” he angrily yelled. “Fight it! Stay with me!”

_“Don’t fight it, Kahlan….let go and the pain will stop…”_

“I’m so tired, Richard…please, just let me go…” she cried, her teeth chattering. “I can’t take it anymore!”

“Don’t you dare leave me now,” Richard roughly shook her, desperate to keep her with him. “I love you, Kahlan! Don’t leave me alone!”

_“It’s time, Kahlan…”_

No longer able to hold it in any longer, Kahlan’s magic roared to the surface with a violent concussive blow, knocking Richard several feet back away from her. He landed hard on the ground, knocking the air from his lungs and momentarily dazing him.

He immediately scrambled to his feet, staring in disbelief as Kahlan leapt to her feet as well, her daggers drawn. Her eyes were black as coal now, her teeth clenched tight in a sneer as she glared at him. There was a feral quality to her now, something violent and deadly awakened within her that he had never seen before, not even when she was in the throes of the powerful Blood Rage.

“Kahlan,” he cautiously said, holding his hands out before him. “Kahlan..it’s me…it’s Richard. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She growled at him, something otherworldly that made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He carefully began circling her, doing his best to keep his distance from her, not wanting to provoke her into an attack he’d never be able to fend off.

How could he fight his own Confessor? His Kahlan? His lover?

Richard forced back the shiver of dread that threatened to take him to his knees. How was he ever going to be able to fight off the woman that he loved? He refused to draw his sword against her, memories of raising his deadly weapon to Kahlan when they had been with the Minders still haunting him at times. He never wanted to lose control like that ever again, hurt her because of who he was or the blood that flowed through his veins.

“Kahlan, I don’t want to fight you!” he yelled.

She flashed him a wicked grin as she suddenly lunged at him, her daggers pointed directly at him. He quickly dodged her attack, turning and pushing her away from him without trying to hurt her.

Kahlan gracefully turned and twisted, narrowly missing slicing the Seeker’s arm. She growled in frustration, her chest heaving with rage, her dark hair whipping like vipers in the wind as she spun on her heel for another attack.

“Fight it, Kahlan!” he yelled at her. “Don’t make me do this!”

There was a stealthy, lethal intent to her every move, a dark fury that he had never seen in her before. It made his skin crawl and yet he couldn’t help but be in complete awe of her as she began to circle him again like a predator stalking their prey.

“You’re mine, Seeker. My master has commanded it,” she suddenly purred, her voice so sultry like a siren’s song that he couldn’t help the sudden arousal that grew hot in his belly. This was a side of her he’d never seen before.

She was turning into a mercenary for Demos Rahl, becoming whatever his brother wanted her to be. It was terrifying to see his Confessor, his beloved Kahlan transforming right before his eyes.

She had always been powerful, mesmerizing him with her beauty and graceful skill. She was a deadly warrior, fearless and intelligent. But there was something so very different in her now, something that made his blood turn to ice water in his veins.

It was evil. 

There was no honor in her anymore, no conscious, no compassion. The line between right and wrong, good and evil had been severely blurred, the barrier had been breached and the ability to control the rage inside gone. She was being transformed into the perfect weapon, his Kahlan disappearing forever.

Without a second thought, Richard drew his sword, tears threatening to form behind his eyes. “Don’t make me do this, Kahlan!” he angrily shouted at her, his every word filled with the heavy anguish that consumed him at that moment.

He felt the magic of his sword inundate him, fusing with the rage that already lived within him for all that had been done to his lover. Now, he had to stop her before she escaped from him or did something that’d she’d only regret.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Kahlan!” he growled as she dove at him again, their weapons clashing with a chilling screech that created gooseflesh to ripple over his arms.

They were toe-to-toe and eye-to-eye, his breath hot pulsating blasts against her face, her scent nearly making him lightheaded as he breathed her in. She had sudden unbelievable strength as they both pushed against the other and neither one giving in.

Richard gritted his teeth against her daggers inching closer to his face, sweat forming on his brow. It took every ounce of strength he had to rein in the fury pounding through him as he found himself in a deadly battle with his Confessor.

With a scream of rage, he abruptly shoved her backwards harder than he had intended to, his sword slicing her arm in the process. She stumbled back, falling to the ground. Breathing hard, she got up on all fours, fighting to catch her breath as she glared at him. Blood dripped down her arm and onto her hand.

“Kahlan, I’m sorry,” he choked out in horror, fighting the urge to run to her. The sneer on her lips kept him back.

He watched as she finally got to her feet, adjusting his grip on the hilt of his sword. “I don’t want to fight you, Kahlan!” he yelled at her. “I love you!”

“How sweet.”

The Seeker turned to find a dozen Mord’Sith coming into the clearing, agiels in hand and deadly intent in their eyes. He carefully turned, keeping Kahlan to his right and the Mord’Sith to his left. He no longer had to fight just his Confessor, but now the Mord’Sith bent on taking her away from him as well. He would die before he would ever let that happen.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 31

Walking out into the morning sunlight, Cara was glad to finally be leaving the Spirit House as she followed behind Zedd and Tolla Nakunam to the gathering. It had been a little awkward sleeping in the Spirit House last night especially knowing what had gone on in there between Richard and Kahlan.

She had never been timid or shy when it had come to sex. In fact, she was pretty brazen about, enjoying how uncomfortable the Lord Rahl and Mother Confessor always used to become whenever she had made comments about them just needing to have sex and get it out of their system.

She didn’t know what had actually changed in her, whether it was her damned humanity rearing its ugly head again or the fact that she was becoming soft after all these months of travelling with them. Either way she didn’t like it one bit.

If it had been anyone else, it wouldn’t have affected her in the least. She would have smirked about it and been on her way. But this…this wasn’t just any two people. This was Richard and Kahlan, her Lord Rahl and friend. As much as she loathed admitting it to herself let alone anyone else, they had a special place in her heart, felt a certain protectiveness for them.

While happy they had at long last consummated all the ridiculous doe-eyed looks of longing from the across the campfire, the secretive lustful glances that were far from covert as well as the unbearable sexual tension that hung so thickly in the air that it could have set off a cataclysmic explosion that could’ve split the world in two, she still didn’t want any part of it or care to see it in action.

In this, ignorance was more than bliss.

She had a haunting feeling, though, that now that the damn had been broken and the Confessor’s walls had been breached, there was going to be no separating the two of them. They were going to be all over each other like two rabbits in heat. She was going to have to carry a bucket of cold water with her at all times just to keep Richard off of his Confessor.

Cara couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at her lips, though. Richard had finally discovered how to love his Confessor without her magic affecting him and Kahlan had finally lost her virtue, knew what it was like to be made to scream in ecstasy by the man she loved. It had been about damn time. 

The Mord’Sith smirk suddenly fell as she spotted Hadi watching her from a distance. The hate-filled glare in his eyes spoke volumes of what was going on inside that head of his. It was obvious he wanted them dead and was only barely restrained from carrying it out himself.

She was not in the mood for dealing with him, not when Kahlan’s life was hanging so precariously in the balance again, Richard likely hanging as well by a steadily thinning thread of panic. They had too many other things to deal with right now than to mess with this sad excuse for a real Aku warrior.

On the other hand, Cara was not about to let him think for even one moment that she was going to just sit back and let him threaten her or her friends. If he tried anything, he would find out what crossing a Mord’Sith was truly like.

Without a second thought, Cara immediately made her way to Hadi skulking in the shadows much to the Aku warrior’s surprise. He instantly stiffened, raising his spear in warning for her to stay back, but it went unheeded.

Ignoring his veiled threat, she shot him a heated glower that would’ve sent any sane person scurrying into the nearest corner. Hadi was far from sane, though, his preconceived ideas as well as his anger kept him in a tightly wound knot set to unravel at the slightest provocation.

“What do you want, Mord’Sith?” he hissed at her, her name like an evil curse on his lips.

“I just want you to know that I don’t care if you hate me, but if you dare try to hurt my friends, I will not hesitate to rip your heart out with my bare hands,” Cara coldly stated, her emerald eyes flashing with lethal intent. “Are we clear?”

“You should not be allowed to live, you or your friends,” Hadi spat out. “The Mord’Sith should’ve been wiped off the face of the earth long ago as well as Confessors.”

“Hadi!” Temin scowled from beside him. “Don’t say such things.”

“No, let him speak his mind,” Cara said, holding up a hand up to silence Temin. “I want to hear what he had to say and then I will be more than happy to introduce him to my agiels.”

“Cara!” Zedd barked from behind.

“Hadi, go!” Tolla Nakunam ordered. “Mistress Cara is a guest in our village and will be treated as such.”

“But she…” Hadi sputtered in fury.

“Go! Now!” Tolla yelled at him.

Hadi turned on his heel with a growl, swearing under his breath as he quickly disappeared into the trees. Temin stood nervously watching, shifting from one foot to the other, not knowing whether to go after his friend or to stay where he was at.

“I’m sorry about Hadi, Mistress Cara,” Tolla frowned. “He’s a good warrior, but his temper gets him into trouble sometimes.”

“There’s a lot of hate in his heart,” Zedd interjected.

“Combined with his temper, it’s a deadly accident waiting to happen,” Cara scowled.

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Toll sighed heavily. “Come, let’s head to the gather hut. Mitta and the Council are waiting for us.”

Zedd and Cara turned to follow, Zedd placing a calming hand on the Mord’Sith’s shoulder. “Don’t be the spark that causes that young man to finally explode. We need to focus on saving Kahlan.”

“I just wanted to make it perfectly clear that I’m not afraid of him and if he tries anything against us I will not hesitate to stop him,” she simply said.

“I believe he got your point,” Zedd replied.

“He better or he will learn the hard way,” she sneered. “He’ll find out I’m not a very kind teacher.”

XXX

“Who sent you after the Mother Confessor?” Richard demanded, his voice deep and thunderous with rage.

“Does it matter who sent us?” a blond Mord’Sith asked as she stepped forward, cocking an eyebrow. “You will both be dead in a matter of minutes and in the presence of the Keeper so it doesn’t really matter who sent us.”

“It will be you who will be greeting the Keeper. Just be sure to send my regards to my brother Darken when you arrive,” he growled.

Kahlan glared at the Mord’Sith before her, her daggers clutched tightly in her hands. They were keeping her from fulfilling her master’s request. A sneer twisted her lips as she suddenly raced headlong into the fight before Richard even realized what she was doing.

While fearful for her safety, he was relieved that he didn’t have to fight his Confessor now. He still didn’t know what he was going to do once he was alone with her again. How was he going to be able to keep her safe while trying to keep her from removing his head from his shoulders?

He didn’t have much time to consider it anymore as the Mord’Sith began to attack. Throwing himself fully into the battle, he was bent on taking them all down before they could hurt Kahlan. He had no idea who had sent all these Mord’Sith after her or why. None of it made any sense to him no matter how he tried to look at it.

Why cast a powerful spell on her only to send the Lord Rahl’s personal mercenaries after her to end her life?

The Sword of Truth glinted in the bright morning sun light as it rapidly arched towards the enemy with deadly skill. Richard did his best to keep them from taking Kahlan’s life, but there were too many of them. The grassy clearing seemed to be covered in a sea of red leather and braids.

Fear that had been his constant companion since he had found out something was wrong with his Confessor seemed to suddenly take on a life all its own, morphing and expanding in his chest as he moved in a deadly dance with death, killing as many Mord’Sith as he could while still trying to keep an eye on Kahlan.

Casting a glance back over his shoulder, Richard saw Kahlan dispense with another Mord’Sith, blood spraying her face and clothes. She was mesmerizing to behold as she lifted her leg, knocking back one only to spin and thrust, eliminating another.

Turning, Richard found himself staring at a petite blond Mord’Sith, her agiel clenched tightly in her hand. “We’re here to kill your Confessor, Seeker,” the Mord’Sith suddenly said. “We’re only interested in her. You don’t have to die with her.”

Taken aback, the Seeker stared at her. “Who sent you after Kahlan?” he demanded to know. “Did Demos send you to kill her?”

The Mord’Sith chuckled softly with his questions. “It doesn’t matter who or why, only that it will be done,” she smiled seductively at him, her eyes gleaming with something that made him involuntarily shiver. “You don’t have to die with her.”

“I’m not about to let Kahlan die for any reason,” he growled with deadly ferocity that quickly erased the Mord’Sith’s smirk.

“Pity,” she frowned. “You would have made a very useful pet to me. I heard how not even Denna could break you, but of course, Denna is not me. I could bring you pleasure beyond imagining.”

“The only pleasure you could give me is by dying,” he spat out. “Who wants Kahlan dead?”

Mistress Cyia huffed in agitation. “I guess it really doesn’t matter,” she supposed. “You’re both going to be dead soon anyway. It’s Mistress Lucinda, leader of the Mord’Sith and Lord Demos Rahl’s personal mistress.”

Stunned, Richard couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “So this Mord’Sith wants Demos all to herself?”

“I don’t presume to know what Mistress Lucinda is thinking, but I would assume so,” Cyia shrugged a shoulder. “Like I said, it doesn’t really matter. You and the Confessor will be dead.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Richard sneered as he lunged for the Mord’Sith standing so smugly before him.

Cyia smirked as the Seeker swung his sword, turning and thrusting her agiel, connecting with his side. Richard cried out as a loud sickening snap filled the air, his ribs cracking against the magical pain inflicted upon him.

He spun around with a snarl, his sword slicing through the Mord’Sith and abruptly ending the threat. A scream split the air and pierced his heart. Turning, he found Kahlan kneeling on all fours in the grass, several Mord’Sith lying dead on the ground around her.

She was panting heavily, blood trickling from her nose and mouth as she fought to catch her breath. Her fingers were clawing at the grass beneath her, her body trembling violently.

“Kahlan!” Richard cried as he took off in a dead run, spotting a Mord’Sith suddenly rising up from behind her, her agiel raised and ready to finish his beloved off. “No! Kahlan!”

With a sudden movement that stunned him, Kahlan swiftly turned, her dagger clutched tightly in her hand. She thrust her dagger deep into the Mord’Sith’s chest before collapsing. The Mord’Sith crumpled to the ground, her agiel falling uselessly from her hand. 

“Kahlan!” he screamed as he slid to his knees beside his fallen Confessor, his sword falling from his grip as he frantically ran his hands over her face, desperate to find life still within her. “Please…Kahlan…”

XXX

Cara began to feel woozy from the effects of the strange fire burning brightly before her, the smoke drifting through the gathering hut beginning to flicker. She didn’t like not feeling in complete control at all times. It made her feel susceptible and at a disadvantage especially if there was a surprise attack.

She kept a firm hand on her agiels just in case as a disorienting sensation began to drift over her. She could Zedd growing tense beside her as well, also uncomfortable with the strange sensations washing over them.

She quickly lost site of the other Aku in the room with her, her skin beginning to tingle as her breathing grew more shallow. She had a strange feeling of some unwanted presence suddenly in the hut with them, one that she hoped to never see again.

“Why Cara,” the deep ominous voice abruptly came, cutting through the thick haze of smoke and causing her to immediately bristle. “What a pleasant surprise this truly is.”

Cara leapt to her feet, her agiels twisted fiercely in her hands. “What do you know about Richard and Kahlan?” she ground out, fighting the desperate urge to attack.

“So good to see you,” Darken drooled as he approached. “Zeddicus, always a great pleasure.”

“What can you tell us about this marking spell your brother placed on Kahlan?” Zedd demanded to know as he came to stand beside the Mord’Sith who was like a caged animal about to claw her way to freedom.

“I already told Richard and Kahlan everything they needed to know,” Rahl replied, adjusting the cuff of his robe in feigned disinterest.

“They’re not here so you’re going to have to tell us everything before I force you to talk,” Cara snapped.

“Oh, Cara,” Darken chuckled softly. “How I have missed your acid tongue. There’s nothing you can possibly do to me, dear Cara. I’m already dead thanks to Richard.”

“Then why come back from the Underworld just to see us?” Zedd questioned him.

“You summoned me,” Rahl frowned. “Besides, it’s nice break from the monotony of being dead and trapped in the Underworld.”

“What can we do to save Kahlan?” Zedd tried again.

Darken Rahl clasped his hands behind his back as he sized up the Wizard and Mord’Sith standing before him. “Even if I knew, why would I tell you?”

“Demos gaining control of Kahlan keeps her safely tucked away with him, away from the Keeper’s reach,” Zedd reminded him. “The prophecy will come true then about the Confessor’s pure heart beating. The Keeper’s defeat will all but be sealed.”

Rahl seemed to consider the Wizard’s words for a moment before finally responding. “The Keeper’s reach stretches far and wide, even into the darkest reaches of the People’s Palace. Who’s to say that he doesn’t have followers there who could end Kahlan’s life once and for all?”

“That may be so, but the chances are dramatically reduced what with all the Mord’Sith lurking about there, always present and ready to give the breath of life to bring her back for their Lord Rahl,” Cara added with a triumphant smirk.

“Unless she is attacked beyond repair,” he smiled in return.

“Stop the games and tell us what we need to know to save Kahlan,” Zedd angrily growled, feelings of helplessness building.

“I will tell you exactly what I told Richard and Kahlan,” Rahl scowled. “There is no way to break the marking spell unless Demos chooses to.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Cara huffed. “Give me a few minutes alone with him and I will have begging to remove it.”

Rahl folded his arms against his chest. “It’s not that easy. You really think that my twin brother is going to just let you waltz into the People’s Palace and take over?”

“Is there no other way to remove the spell?” Zedd asked before Cara could reply with a scathing retort.

“Even if you were to end her life and then bring her back with the breath of life, the spell is still attached to her soul,” Rahl informed them. “The only way to break it is for Demos to remove it.”

“Or to kill Demos,” Cara sneered.

“There is that,” Darken nodded his head in agreement.

“So the key to all of this lies with Demos, not in what we can do for Kahlan,” Zedd thought out loud, stroking his chin.

“Exactly,” Rah agreed. “There is absolutely nothing that can be done for her. Her fate is sealed. The answer lies with Demos.”

“We’ll have to find a way to keep Kahlan safe or from hurting anyone until we can get her back,” Zedd turned towards Cara.

“We need to find them first,” Cara groused. “Richard’s going to have his hands full trying to restrain her.”

“Indeed he will,” Darken Rahl interjected into their private conversation. “Kahlan will be near impossible to contain. She’ll be desperate to reach her master, to please him, to do whatever it is he has planted in her mind to do for him.

“She’ll possess greater strength, a darker nature, more animalistic instincts. She won’t be the same woman that she once was. Her memories will be fragmented and jagged, not fitting together creating further confusion in her. She won’t be able to put the pieces of her life back together in her mind unless the spell is removed.”

Zedd shivered with Rahl’s words. This was not going to be easy for any of them, but especially Richard. He was going to be forced to fight his Confessor, to battle the woman he loves more than life itself. How was he going to be able to stop her if he had to?

“We need to find them,” Cara growled. “We can’t just wait here hoping that they’ll return. There’s no telling how far gone Kahlan is now.”

“I would imagine the spell has taken full effect by now,” Rahl said. “Now, your only hope is getting Demos which will be next to impossible now that he has the most powerful Confessor who has ever lived as his own personal bodyguard. I’m afraid Kahlan is far more dangerous than she’s ever been.”

“This isn’t over yet,” Cara snapped. “We won’t stop until we have saved her.”

“You always were my most tenacious Mord’Sith, Cara,” Rahl smiled proudly at her as he moved to stand directly before her. “And one of my very favorites.”

Cara stiffened as his hand came up to touch her cheek, only to feel a chilling cold slice through her. Unable to actually touch her, his hand fell away, a sad expression filling his face as he began to fade from their presence.

“Too bad you chose to follow the wrong Rahl brother,” he told her as he disappeared from sight.

“What did you ever see in that man?” Zedd grumbled as he wearily rubbed his forehead.

“Obviously more back then than I do now,” she huffed, attaching her agiels to her waist. Turning to look at Zedd, her brow furrowed. “Are you alright?”

Zedd nodded as he settled down on the bench once more, releasing a ragged breath. “Yes, just tired,” he admitted, leaning forward and resting his head in his hands.

“You don’t look so well,” she frowned. “I think Odo needs to see what he can do for you.”

“We have more important things to worry about then me,” the Wizard shook his head. “With Kahlan possessed by that spell, Richard’s in more trouble than he could possibly know.”


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 32

Kahlan slowly opened her eyes, her mind a murky sea of muddled thoughts and fractured images that made no sense to her. She attempted to focus her vision, her head pounding relentlessly. Her groan turned into a fierce growl as she attempted to move only to find herself unable to. 

She gritted her teeth, twisting her wrists against the thick ropes that kept her bound tight. Looking down to assess herself, she found she was dressed in only her corset and skirt, her ankles bound tightly with rope as well.

A bandage was wrapped securely around her forearm from where the Seeker’s sword had sliced her arm. Numerous agiel burns marked her arms and chest, a thin layer of aum already covering them, but she cared little about it at that moment. Her only concern was getting out of here and getting to Demos.

Turning her attention to her surroundings, she found herself in a cave, a small fire burning brightly before her providing her warmth. Casting a glance outside the mouth of the cave, she could tell it was already dark outside, the sound of chirping crickets filling the air.

With a hiss of pain, she fought against the ropes that restrained her, trying to break free from whoever it was that had captured her. Her entire body hurt, but at least the headache wasn’t nearly as severe as it had once been.

Looking down at her wounded arm, she saw blood seeping through the bandages, quickly beginning to soak it. An image of the Seeker’s face as he had shoved her away causing her to fall, his blade slicing her arm, the anguish that had filled his eyes after suddenly filled her mind.

He had captured her, brought her here. 

“Don’t fight it,” came a voice from the dark shadows of the cave, so gentle and kind she couldn’t help but suddenly obey his order. “The wound in your arm is very deep. You need a healer.”

“I need to be let go,” she snapped, her tone harsh and unforgiving of the kindness he had obviously already shown to her.

“I’m sorry, Kahlan, but I can’t do that,” Richard softly said shifting close to the glowing light of the fire and finally allowing her to see his face as he added more wood. 

After the fight with the Sisters of the Agiel, Richard had taken her to a place where he could care for her, hopefully allowing her to safely rest without any more Mord’Sith attacks. After tending to her numerous wounds, he had tried to sleep for a little while, but was unable to. 

Images of their fight, his rage…her falling, the feel of the sword slicing through her arm kept parading through his mind over and over again, reminding him of who he was inside, the man that he would never be able to escape.

He had been sitting in the dark shadows watching her for hours, praying that she would wake and wondering how in the world he was ever going to be able to save her now that the spell had taken over. Having to tie her up with the ropes she loathed so much had broken his heart, leaving him with an aching hope that she would forgive him someday for it. 

Kahlan stared at him with those eyes so very dark it sent shivers through him, leaving him desperate to see those bright sapphire orbs looking at him with longing again. Now, those beautiful depths were black and filled with hatred and rage directed at him.

“Richard, please let me go. I’m not going to try to fight you again,” she told him, her voice so sultry and seductive it was like a beautiful melody to his ears in its attempts to lull him into trusting her once more.

“I can’t, Kahlan,” he shook his head, his heart hammering.

He sighed heavily as he got to his feet, mostly from the fierce ache that weighed his heart down, but also from the exhaustion that clung to him like a second skin. Picking up his pack, he got up with a soft groan and made his way over to her, his broken ribs a cold reminder of what had happened. 

His chest tightened with anguish as Kahlan backed up away from him, pressing herself fully against the rock wall behind her. Settling down in front of her, he pulled the supplies from his pack, doing his best to keep the pain he felt inside from reflecting on his face, but he knew it was there in his eyes. He could feel the tears rising again as she pulled away from his hold on her arm.

“I need to redress your wound,” he told her, his voice firm as he took her arm again, keeping his attention on her wound instead of her face.

She ground her teeth as she watched him untie the bloody bandage from her arm, blood seeping from the large gash and getting on his hands as he worked. It throbbed mercilessly, but she wasn’t about to admit it to him.

Richard’s heart clenched painfully in his chest as he examined the wound again, the wound that he had given her. Tears burned in his eyes at what he had done to his Kahlan. He had never meant to hurt her, his rage getting the best of him once again. He didn’t deserve to have her, to carry the sword. She needed to be as far away from him as possible.

She watched intently as he cleaned the wound, his touch so tender and attentive. His hands were large, the strength he possessed obvious in his grip on her despite how gently he was holding her arm. His fingers were rough from the sword he carried, but felt electric against her skin in a way she couldn’t quite understand.

She gazed at him as he took care of her, studying his every distinct curve. His face was still as stone, his perfect features sculpted and handsome as her gaze followed the angle of his jaw and the rough stubble that lined it. His chestnut eyes spoke of the hurt that dwelled so deep inside of him, the secret heavy burdens of his heart that he didn’t dare speak of, things too painful or terrifying to give voice to.

Her eyes settled on the curve of his lips and something inside of her caused her stomach to tighten with unexpected heat as memories of where his mouth had been on her body began to fight its way to the surface. Flashes of fiery passion made with him, of shared breaths and erotic moans drifted through her thoughts, suddenly warming her to her core.

He had ravished her with such fervor that it had made her head spin, such intense urgency and demand to be with her it took her breath away. It had been like he couldn’t hold in his burning need for her a moment longer and yet there had been such a gentle expression of love behind his every caress, every stroke and kiss. An utter devotion and reverence that it had brought tears to her eyes in the midst of the sensual intimacy they shared.

“Richard…” she whispered as she stared at him, unblinking, her breathing becoming ragged. 

Richard looked up, realizing how close her beautiful face was to his and suddenly losing the ability to breathe, to think. He was startled to see her blue eyes gazing back at him instead of the black detached orbs; recognition…awareness…longing all seeming to unexpectedly swim there in those depths he loved.

She bit her bottom lip, causing hot arousal to burn in his veins as he fought back the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Her breath was pulsating softly against his face as he lost himself in her eyes, his resolve beginning to crumble, the air around them charged with their mutual hunger.

“Kahlan,” he whispered, his thumb gently brushing unconsciously back and forth against the soft smooth skin of her arm as he stared into her eyes.

He felt his insides begin to tremble, her nearness, the desire burning in her eyes for him beginning to subtly ease the ache that was devouring his heart. Spirits, he need her so badly, needed her to be alright. He couldn’t survive in this life without her.

The life he lived, he lived for her.

“Richard…please…” she murmured as she slowly leaned forward, her face lightly caressing his. “Help me…”

She brushed her nose against his cheek, breathing deeply and absorbing his scent, forever imprinting it in her mind. Sounds, touches, images of making love with him continued to assault her, fighting to awaken her identity within her despite the powerful spell holding her firmly in its grasp. 

The musky smell of sweat and making love with him in the Spirit House flooded her thoughts as she whispered kisses along his cheekbone. The sound of her name being torn from his lips as he climaxed within her, the gasping pants and breathless moans they had shared suddenly filled her ears once more as memories pounded away at the spell that had seized her mind.

Finding his mouth, Kahlan brushed her lips tentatively, softly against his. She felt his breath hitch as their lips touched, something electric shooting through her to her very core. She could feel his desire, his entire body straining with the overwhelming need for her that was burning hotly beneath his skin, begging so desperately to be realized, to be consummated with her all over again.

Tilting his head, he captured her lips again, kissing her fiercely with a sudden passion that he could no longer ignore, no longer hold back. He ached for her like nothing he’d ever known before as his hand slipped up into her hair, keeping her close to him as he kissed her breathless.

Pulling back for air, he pressed his forehead against hers, drawing his teeth over his bottom lip and savoring the taste of her on his tongue as desire consumed his senses. Kissing her was like warm sunlight and honey, awakening such a fierce hunger deep within.

“Please, untie me Richard,” she softly pleaded, pausing to nuzzle his nose with hers. “I’m scared of the rope.”

His hand slid from her hair to cup her face, his thumb caressing her cheekbone as he gazed into her eyes. “I know and I’m so sorry, but I can’t, Kahlan,” he replied, the anguish he carried filling his voice.

“I’m so scared, Richard,” she whispered, her bottom lip trembling. “Please, if you love me, you’ll release me.”

“Kahlan…I…I can’t…” he choked back tears. “Kahlan, I do love you, but…Spirits, I just…I can’t.”

She suddenly pulled back in rage, a sneer filling her face as her eyes turned black once more. “I should have slit your throat when I had the chance,” she hissed like a deadly viper.

Stunned, Richard sank back on his heels, his heart falling again as he watched his Kahlan slip under the control of the spell once more. He swallowed past the painful thick knot of tears lodged in his throat as he took her arm into his hands once more.

He worked in silence as he cleaned her wound, more than angry with himself for giving into his ever-burning need for her. She wasn’t herself now, his Kahlan, no matter how much he wished it, no matter how desperate he was to save her.

Guilt swam in his soul for the deep gash he had caused her, wishing more than anything he’d just let her stab him with her dagger, taking him to Demos. Then, she wouldn’t have been hurt, wouldn’t be covered in agiel burns.

“Why are you taking care of me when you know that as soon as I get free I’m going to take you to my master?”

“Because I love you,” he replied, his attention on the wound instead of her face. He couldn’t bear to look into the eyes that were no longer hers. “I’ll never stop loving you or fighting to save you.”

He held her arm up a little, winding the strip of material around the wound. Even though she refused to admit it, he could tell that she was in a lot of pain, more so now from the wound he had given her than just the headaches. He knew firsthand how battered and broken she had to feel from the agiel attacks alone.

He would have preferred the headaches over this, instead of being the reason she was bleeding and in pain. Besides, if she still had the headaches, then she was still Kahlan fighting the spell instead of him having to fight his possessed Confessor.

“You know I don’t love you,” she coldly said, watching his face for a reaction. “I feel absolutely nothing for you. You mean nothing to me but a way to please my master.”

Richard kept his face impassive despite the fierce pain that her words caused him, a piece of his heart being carved out. He finished tying the bandage around her forearm before placing his things back into his pack.

She watched him intently as he moved to get to his feet. She instinctively leaned forward, her bound wrists seizing his shirt and keeping him there with her. “Did you hear me?” she asked, trying to get some sort of reaction out of him, anything to keep him close to her. She didn’t know why it was so important to her for him to be near her.

“Yes, I heard you,” he softly replied, fighting back the overwhelming need to grab her and shake her, to force the spell from her body, to kiss her hard and devour her whole. “And it changes nothing. My love is not based on whether you love me in return or not. My love for you..it just…is. It’s my reason for existing, for breathing…for getting up every morning.”

“And what if I die? What then?”

Richard looked down at her fingers fisting his shirt, remembering how those very fingers had so sensually removed his clothes from his body not that long ago, the feel of her hands on his skin driving him wild. Looking up into the inky soulless eyes staring back at him now, he found himself feeling so lonely, so in need of his best friend, his lover.

But she was no longer that woman now.

“You did die on me,” he calmly reminded her despite the firestorm teeming inside of him. “Twice. I thought I was going to lose my mind when I lost you. The pain that seared inside of me was so intense I never thought I’d ever be able to breathe again. I never want to go through that ever again, Kahlan.”

She stared at him for a long moment, seeing the truth of his words reflected there in his dark brown orbs. She slowly released her hold on his shirt, her fingers slipping free only to be captured by his hand. He brought it up to his mouth, softly brushing his lips against her knuckles.

“I will never give up on you, Kahlan,” he adamantly told her. “I will fight for you until my final breath.”

“Let me go…please…” she tried again, her voice suddenly soft and sweet.

“I can’t,” he shook his head. “I love you too much to untie you and let you go.”

Her black orbs turned to liquid flames of fire, her body trembling with rage. “You tie me up like I’m some sort of animal,” she seethed. “You call that love?”

Releasing a ragged breath, Richard picked up his pack and moved back to the other side of the fire, needing to put distance between them. He couldn’t bear being so close to her and not untie the ropes, hold her close against him and love her. 

He was exhausted, his ribs aching with every breath he drew. He needed Zedd to heal his broken ribs, to save Kahlan for him. Unfortunately, his grandfather was with the Aku by now. Trying to get Kahlan back to Zedd was going to be next to impossible.

As much as he hated to admit it, Kahlan was right. The only way to end this was to go to the People’s Palace and stop Demos. The thought of her being there in his brother’s presence again only enraged him all the more.

“You don’t love me at all,” she yelled at him, intruding into his thoughts. “You’re just like my father. You’re going to use me to get what you want.”

Richard bit his bottom lip, swallowing back the response that danced on his tongue. He wanted so desperately to tell her that she was wrong, that he loved her with every fiber of his being, that he’d been waiting for what felt like forever for her to come into his life, but it was pointless. Her mind was gone, controlled now by Demos. Arguing with her would only antagonize her more and lead to more hurt.

“You need to sleep,” he wearily said. “You’ve been through two Mord’Sith attacks and lost a lot of blood. You need to recover your strength.”

“Don’t pretend that you care about me just to gain my trust,” she hissed. “You never have cared about me. All you care about is yourself and the pleasure you can take from me.”

Ignoring her, Richard drew his sword, the recognizable ring of its release echoing softly through the cave and silencing any further verbal attacks from her. Leaning back against the cave wall with a grimace, he rested his weapon across his lap as he closed his eyes.

“I love you, Kahlan,” he softly told her.

He didn’t bother waiting for a reply that he knew in his hurting heart would never come as sleep slowly began to claim him. He prayed that his real Kahlan would follow him there in his dreams, comforting him now in the only way that she possibly could.

She watched him with a hard indifferent stare as he settled back and closed his eyes, refusing to respond to her. She felt nothing for this man sitting across from her, nothing at all. He was a means to an end, a way to please her master. Nothing more.

She struggled against the ropes that bound her, but it was no use. He had made sure that she wouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon unless he decided it. She growled low under her breath, silently fuming and racking her brain for a way out of this.

She had to get free so she could capture the Seeker and bring him to her master. Until then, she was a failure.

Her mind was muddled, her thoughts and memories still fragmented and quickly vanishing. Looking down at the ropes that bound her, she couldn’t help the wild panic that suddenly surged through her as images of her father grabbing her and binding her with rope, locking her in a closet roared to the surface.

She began to breathe hard, hyperventilating as she wrenched her wrists this way and that in an effort to get free from the horrifying memories that only seemed to cause her more pain. Tears leaked from her eyes as she fought to control her fear, but it was difficult with the rough fibers of the rope digging into her wrists and reminding her of a childhood she’d sooner forget.

Richard swallowed hard, his body growing tense with the sounds of her panicked hiccoughing gasps as she fought against the horrors of the rope that bound her. Each one of her terror-filled sobs, her murmured pleas to untie her carved out another piece of his heart.

He didn’t want to do this to her, hated himself for hurting her like this. Spirits, if he had his way he’d be making love to her right now, holding her in his arms, but she wasn’t his Kahlan any longer. 

Kahlan finally forced herself to focus on the man sleeping across from her, watching as shadows created by the fire danced across his handsome face as he slept. There was something about him that seemed to calm her very soul the longer she watched him, creating a warm sense of peace to slowly drift over her.

Her heart beat began to slow again, her breathing evening out as she watched him sleep, his breathing beginning to even out. The pain he carried in his heart was reflected on his face even in his sleep. She felt a strange overwhelming need to go to him, to comfort him somehow.

But just then the headache suddenly intensified, causing her to grit her teeth against the blinding pain that threatened to drag her away. Pressing her head back against the cave wall, she swiftly lost herself into the welcoming arms of oblivion.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 33

“We need to go after them,” Cara huffed as she paced back and forth.

“It’s better if we stay here and wait,” Zedd wearily replied as he watched her. “Richard wanted us to stay here for a reason and I think we better listen to him.”

“But they could be in a lot of trouble right now,” the agitated Mord’Sith continued to rant. “There’s no telling how hard it’s going to be to contain Kahlan if the spell has truly taken over. Richard will need our help.”

“I have no doubt about that,” the Wizard agreed. “But we both know that Richard always has a reason for the things that he does. He wanted us to wait here and see what we could do to find a way to save Kahlan. 

“Besides, Kahlan is very powerful and very dangerous even when she is in complete control. Now that the spell is in control of her, no one is safe around her except for Richard. He may be the only one who will be able to get through to her.”

“But that was before we knew that Demos was the only way to stop all of this. I think we need to go to the People’s Palace and help him stop Demos before they get themselves killed,” she scowled as she paused to look at the older man sitting on the bench watching her.

Zedd didn’t look well, appeared as if he was aging right before her very eyes. His pale faced looked more haggard and worn than usual; his eyes having lost the spark that used to reside there. She wished Odo would hurry back.

She had hoped that a good night’s sleep would help him feel better, but it didn’t seem like it had. He looked just as bad as he did when they had arrived here. Frowning, she made her way to him.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked. “You don’t look good at all.”

“I’ll try not to take offense to that remark,” he frowned. “I’ll be alright. We need to concentrate on a way to save Kahlan. You know if we lose her, we’ll lose Richard as well. It won’t be good at all.”

Cara folded her arms against her chest, her lips pursed in frustration. “Do you really think that Richard will be able to stop Kahlan if he has to?”

“I don’t know,” Zedd shook his head, his forehead creased with the worry that filled him. “I’d like to think that he would stop her if necessary, but I just don’t know. They’re both in a very dangerous place right now especially if Richard’s struggling with his control again.”

“He won’t hurt Kahlan,” Cara huffed. “He loves her too much to ever hurt her.”

“I believe so too, but after everything they’ve been through together – her death, Demos’s interference, and now this spell – I just don’t know how much more that poor boy can possibly take. It’s enough to make any sane person lose control of their rage.”

Cara grew very quiet for several moments, the heated frustration that had gripped her easing into a quiet simmering fear. “I just hope that Kahlan will be able to fight it if Demos orders her to kill Richard.”

“I don’t think even the Mother Confessor can fight against a marking spell,” he informed her. “It’ll shatter her memories; turn her into whatever it is that Demos needs her to be. She won’t have any control over it. We’re in more trouble than either of us can ever begin to realize.

“Demos has just pitted the most powerful Mother Confessor in the world against the Seeker of Truth. If it goes that way, it will be the most catastrophic face-off in history.”

“Richard won’t fight Kahlan,” Cara shook her head in disagreement. “He’d sooner die.”

“But if she dies, the Keeper wins and Richard will be as good as dead anyway.”

“You’re not very good at comforting someone, are you?”

Zedd smiled wearily. “Sorry,” he muttered as he moved to lie down on the blanket on the ground. “I’m afraid my hope is as shaken as yours is at the moment. I will tell you this, though. If anyone can find a way to save Kahlan, it’ll be Richard.”

“I hope so,” she murmured as she watched the old Wizard settle down on the ground. “I’m going to go see if I can find Odo for you.”

“I’ll be alright, my dear,” he sighed heavily as he closed his eyes. “Just need to rest my eyes a little.”

Cara stared at him for a long moment, not the least bit placated by his attempt to reassure her. Turning to leave the Spirit House, she couldn’t help the unsettling feeling that things were steadily going from bad to worse and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

XXX

Richard gently lifted her leg, pulling the rope free from her ankles before carefully slipping her boot on. His fingers brushed along her leg, the feel of her smooth skin beneath his fingers causing his breath to catch in his chest despite himself. 

He softly stroked her thigh, his fingers lingering there as memories of being welcomed between her legs flashed erotically through his mind. He loved the strength in her long legs, the way the muscles of her thighs flexed beneath his touch, hugged and stroked his hips as he thrusted deeply into her hot core. 

Drawing a deep ragged breath, he checked himself, tamping down on the desire suddenly pulsating through his veins. Moving to the other leg, he fought against the overwhelming loneliness that lived inside of him now, pervading his soul with an ache so powerful he could barely think sometimes.

Kahlan groaned softly in her sleep, her face wincing with the pain that he knew that she was still in. “Shhh…it’s alright, Kahlan,” he gently told her.

Richard couldn’t help but cringe as he studied her. She looked as though she’d already been to the Underworld and back and their nightmare was only truly beginning. Bruises and agiel burns marred her pale skin and pricked his heart. He didn’t know how she was even conscious let alone still alive after everything that she’d endured the last couple of days.

He knew it had to be somehow related to the marking spell Demos had put on her. It must have somehow amplified her strength as well as her Confessor’s magic. It was the only explanation for her surviving two Mord’Sith attacks as well as confessing four people in quick succession like she had.

In a strange way, he suddenly found himself almost thankful for the spell. If not for it, she’d likely be dead by now.

The knots in his stomach twisted painfully with the thought, his hand finding her cheek, the need to touch her, to hold her too strong to ignore. He wanted so desperately for her to be his again, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen until he stopped Demos for good.

He was going to have to go to the People’s Palace and end this once and for all. The problem was what he was going to do with Kahlan. He couldn’t leave her all alone, not in the condition that she was in now and certainly not with the Mord’Sith hunting her down.

He loathed the idea of taking her with him to stop Demos, not wanting her anywhere near that monster, but he had little choice at this point. He knew he couldn’t waste valuable time by taking her back to the Aku to keep her safe until he returned. Besides, he worried about them trying to handle her without him there.

She could easily slip into the ConDar, if she wasn’t already teetering there already, and confess the entire tribe in less than a heartbeat. He was the only one alive who was immune to her magic. He was going to have to keep her with him for now until he figured something else out.

Despite the fact he had already hurt her once, Richard knew that for the moment she was safest with him. He deeply feared who he was, loathed the rage that burned so hotly in his core. He was terrified of her hurting her again, but right now he had no other choice.

Kahlan suddenly hissed in pain, abrupt awareness beginning to seep into her consciousness. She moaned at the feel of someone touching her, her forehead creasing in confusion. Exhaustion weighed her every muscle down, her head still throbbing, but she knew that she had to keep going. She had to for her master.

Her eyes slowly flitted open to find the Seeker sitting near her, his sole focus on her arm as he worked at redressing it. It throbbed painfully with every beat of her heart, but she tried to push it from her mind. She had to find a way to break free so she could capture him, bring him to Demos.

She studied his face as he worked, trying to think of a way to gain his trust and force him to untie her. So focused on her injured arm, he didn’t seem to even notice that she was awaken now. She did her best to keep her breaths even, her heart beat steady despite the way it seemed to pound harder beneath her breast of its own accord whenever he was near her.

Watching him, Kahlan was struck by how careful he was with her, how attentive he was to her needs despite the fact that she was his prisoner. Memories of her past with him were so tangled, dimly lit shadows of what he actually meant to her. Her life was like a tightly knotted vine of images and emotions balled up inside of her, moments frozen in time with little understanding of what they all truly meant.

She knew this man loved her. It was so obvious in the way that he looked at her, the way his fingers brushed against her skin, lingering there a moment longer than necessary or in the thoughtful way he took care of her. Beyond that, she could remember little else about him except that her master wanted him for some unknown purpose.

If she had loved him at one time, she had no memory of it…at least not at that moment. Every time she tried to remember, tried to fight against the headache that waxed and waned, it felt like firecrackers snapping in her head, each cell in her brain dying painfully only to be reborn, changed into the image of what her master wanted.

She found it was so much easier not to fight it, not to try to remember. The headache seemed to lessen when she didn’t struggle against whatever it was that was happening to her, the things inside of her she didn’t understand. 

It felt at times as though blackness was seeping into the very fiber of her being, slowly taking who she was, erasing her past and deciding her future. She didn’t know what she was becoming or why, only that it hurt so much less if she just let it happen instead of trying to fight it.

Just then, Richard looked up from her arm to find himself staring into the piercing black eyes of his Confessor. It sent an icy shiver up his spine to see her blue eyes now blacker than the darkest night, the detached coldness that stared back at him instead of the love and passion he loved to see burning there for him and him alone.

He paused as he carefully studied her, searching her beautiful face for any sign that his Kahlan was still in there somehow, struggling to break free and return to him. There was a sad hopelessness about her expression that made him wonder what she was thinking about, if she could sense that she was losing herself to Demos’s will and control…that he was losing her.

He reached out a tentative hand, touching her hair and stroking it gently. “Kahlan,” he murmured, staring into her eyes with bated breath. “Please, come back to me. I need you.”

His heart skipped a beat as Kahlan seemed to almost melt into his touch for a moment. Her eyes briefly flickered closed, an almost imperceptible sigh escaping her slightly parted lips. His body was drawn taut as he waited, praying that she would find her way back to him through the bleak darkness inside of her.

“Please…untie me,” she softly replied. “I’ll do anything you want. I’ll let you make love to me if that’s what you wish. Just please…” she paused, swallowing hard, “please…remove the rope.”

She could see the painful struggle inside being played out across the Seeker’s handsome face, the inner turmoil that consumed him as he stared deeply into her eyes. She swore she could see straight into his soul, the overwhelming anguish inside almost palpable. It took her breath away despite herself.

Richard’s heart as well as his hope shattered with her words. This wasn’t his Kahlan, might never be again if he didn’t kill Demos. His Kahlan would never “let” him make love to her and he’d never use her body for his own pleasure. He knew it was the spell talking but it didn’t lessen the pain any.

“I’m sorry…I can’t,” he sighed heavily, his hand falling away in defeat. “I love you, Kahlan, but you’re not yourself. It’s safer for you this way until I can trust you again.”

Kahlan growled under her breath, rage flashing like bolts of lightning in her eyes as he got up and moved away from her. “This is not love!” she yelled at him, holding up her bound wrists to him. “This is nothing but cruel punishment. You’re just like my father!”

Richard swallowed hard, bristling with her words. The little that she had told him about what her father had done to her made him hate her father for abusing her. Being likened to that worthless excuse for a human being did nothing to lessen the rage that stormed inside of him, desperate for release.

“We’re leaving,” he frostily stated with his back to her, his hands practically trembling with the fury and hurt within.

“I’m not going back to the Aku,” she growled. “I will fight you every step of the way, whatever it takes.”

Kahlan watched as his shoulders slumped, his head lowering. “I know,” he softly replied. “That’s why we’re going to the People’s Palace.”

Stunned, she stared at him long and hard, doing her best to guess what he was really up to, why he was going to the place she most desperately wanted to go. It caused her to grow tense, her body rigid with suspicion and distrust.

“Why?” she finally asked, her gaze searching every inch of him trying to find the truth.

“Because that’s the only way I’m ever going to get you back,” he told her, leaning over and gathering his things to leave.

“I don’t need to be saved,” she shot back. “What makes you think that I even want you anymore, want you to save me? I don’t love you, remember? I only want to please my master.”

Richard finally turned to face her, his face hard with resolve, eyes blazing with so many emotions she couldn’t begin to decipher them. He watched as she stared at him, shrinking back away from him against the cave wall. It felt as though another piece of his heart was suddenly carved out, threatening to steal his sanity.

He did his best to keep his voice even, his chest from heaving but it was near impossible now. “Because the real Kahlan would want me to fight for her with everything that I am and that is exactly what I’m going to do,” he hissed with a deadly calm voice that sent shivers racing through her.

She swallowed back her hammering heart, suddenly finding herself unable to respond in the wake of his barely restrained fury. There was such a deadly intent in him, a heated resolve that it left her in awe of him despite the fact that he was her enemy now.

She had no doubt that nothing was going to get in the way of him getting what he wanted…and what he wanted most was her.

Richard turned away from her, squeezing his eyes shut against the image of the fear that had briefly flitted through Kahlan’s eyes. He hated feeling the fury that used to reside so deep inside of him now running in fierce waves just beneath his skin, struggling to be released. It terrified him to no end.

He just prayed that Kahlan wasn’t anywhere near him when it finally broke free.

“We need to leave,” he finally said, his tone softening.

Kahlan glared at him as the Seeker came close to her. She clenched her jaw in defiance. “Don’t touch me,” she sneered. “I don’t need you or your help.”

Richard internally cringed, but kept his face emotionless as he moved in beside her, wrapping his arm gently around her shoulders. “I know you don’t want to admit it, but you need my help,” he replied. “The wound in your arm is very deep. Fighting against me will only injure it further.”

“Feeling guilty?” she smugly said as he pulled her up onto her feet. “Angry with yourself for being the one to hurt the woman you claim to love?”

Kahlan could tell by the pain that flashed through his eyes that her words had cut deep, hitting its mark. She jerked herself free from his hold on her, huffing a lock of hair out of her face. Richard grabbed her, turning her to him, his lips crashing into hers in a heated rush of fiery emotions that had been besieging him for so very long now.

She fought against the kiss, but his grip only tightened on her, his fingers digging into her arms as he unleashed his passion for her. Her moan never touched the air as he swallowed it, taking her in the only way he could at that moment.

Their tongues danced like twin flames of fire, each fighting for control and neither willing to relinquish it. A fierce battle erupted in her mind, the feel of his passion igniting something inside of her, something that she didn’t want to ignore any longer.

She suddenly ached to touch him, to feel his hands all over her body, to feel him moving so deep inside of her. Before she knew it, Richard had her back pressed up against the cave wall, his hands in her hair and his tongue driving her insane as his leg slipped between hers, putting pressure where she needed it.

Richard suddenly pulled back, fighting to catch his breath. He kept her pinned between his body and the cave wall, her beautiful face a breath away from his. Spirits, he loved her so much, needed her more than anything in this world.

“I would rather die than ever hurt you,” he whispered against her lips as he carefully slipped his knife between them.

Kahlan stared at him, her heart hammering against her chest wall. She felt a fierce struggle erupt deep within her, something that she didn’t understand. She fought to catch her breath, her head suddenly pounding mercilessly and bringing tears to her eyes with its intensity.

“Kahlan, I’m sorry,” he murmured, fighting against the fierce need within for her.

Richard reluctantly released his hold on her, raking his fingers back through his hair as he quickly turned away from her. He bent over, gathering both of their packs, his heart in his throat as began to make his way towards the mouth of the cave.

“Let’s go,” he said, not even pausing to look back at her.

Looking down, Kahlan was stunned to find the rope that had bound her wrists now lying on the ground.

She was free.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 34

Richard walked with his hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword, his raptor gaze burning through the landscape hotter than the sun’s rays, searching for any sign of more Mord’Sith attacks. They had travelled all day without any signs of the Sisters of the Agiel, much to Richard’s relief, but they were still in deep trouble and he knew it. He honestly didn’t know if they were going to make it out of it alive this time.

He could feel Kahlan’s intense gaze boring into the back of his head, following closely behind and trying to figure out why he had untied her. The act had startled them both and to tell the truth, he wasn’t entirely certain himself why he had done it.

No, that wasn’t true. He did know why. 

He loved her too much to keep her tied up like that knowing what it was doing to her whether she truly recognized it or not, whether she understood or remembered it. On some level, she was terrified out of her mind and he just couldn’t do it to her any longer, be the one to cause her so much anguish no matter what the consequences were. He’d find another way to keep her with him, keep her safe.

And if she attacked him, she attacked him. He would rather be the one receiving pain instead of being the one creating it especially when it came to Kahlan. Hurting her was more painful to him than any agiel ever possibly could be.

He felt such a cold hollow ache inside, one that made it difficult to even draw a breath at times. It was similar to the raw anguish that had consumed him when Kahlan had died in his arms and yet this was so different. She was here…alive and yet she wasn’t really his, no longer loved him or felt anything for him except a means to an end.

And he didn’t know how much worse Kahlan’s condition was going to become or when she wasn’t going to be able to fight it any longer, be as compliant as she was now. He had seen flickers of her emerging at times last night and today giving him a faint glimmer of hope only to see her slip away from him all over again.

And he died a little more inside each time as he watched her slip further and further away from him, losing her to the maddening abyss that was filling her. What hurt worse was knowing that she would soon belong to his brother instead of him.

The thought of her no longer being his caused a sharp pain to spike through him. He swallowed back the sob that lodged painfully in his throat as he tried to rein in the firestorm of emotions roiling inside of him. She had truly been his in every way for such a few short days, his dreams finally becoming reality only to have it torn so viciously from his grasp. He wouldn’t allow it, refused to ever accept that he had lost her forever.

He heard a sudden sharp gasp from behind, bringing him to an abrupt stop. Turning, he found Kahlan grabbing her head, doubled over in pain. He immediately went to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“Here, eat this,” he told her, digging a couple of Odo’s seeds from his pocket and holding them out to her.

“No,” she gasped through clenched teeth. “It’s just a trick of some kind. You want to stop me from getting to Lord Demos.”

“It’s not a trick, Kahlan,” he snapped in frustration, pulling her hair back. “It’ll help with the pain.”

She stared at him for a long moment through tear-filled eyes, trying to decide whether he was telling the truth or not. Finally, the pain became too much to withstand and with a shaky hand took the seeds from him, eating them quickly and wincing from the horrible taste that suddenly coated her throat.

“I have to…stop thinking so much,” she choked out as she finally straightened up, the headache beginning to subside ever so subtly.

“Why?” he asked with a frown.

“Because every time I try to remember, try to figure out who you are or why you love me, the headache becomes unbearable,” she admitted as she pulled out of his hold on her, brushing her hair out of her face. “I can’t remember much of anything anymore now. All I know is this powerful draw to go to the People’s Palace and that I have to bring you with me in order to please my master.”

Reaching out, Richard lightly stroked her hair, his hand coming to rest on the nape of her neck, his thumb caressing the edge of her jaw. “I’m never going to give up trying to save you, Kahlan,” he softly promised her. “I’m going to kill Demos and get our lives back.”

“I won’t let you kill Lord Demos,” she scowled, suddenly pulling away from him. “I will stop you.”

“I’m not about to let Demos touch you,” he firmly stated, his jaw clenching and unclenching with anger. “He is a depraved animal who only wants to hurt you and I’ll be damned if I ever let that happen.”

“And I will protect my master with my last breath,” she sneered defiantly at him.

“You have to fight this!” he angrily spat out, roughly grabbing hold of her arms. “I need you, Kahlan. I can’t do this alone, can’t fight this by myself!”

Kahlan jerked free of his hold on her, turning her back to him as she fought the cloud of confusion that filled her mind. The fierce war being waged inside was becoming too much to withstand. She felt as though she was going mad, swinging from one emotional end to another, momentarily remembering only to have it snatched away from her grasp. 

And she had no idea why any of this was happening to her. Why did she feel so drawn to this man here with her now and yet so compelled to hurt him, to take him to Lord Demos?

_“Kahlan, you have failed me. I ordered you to come to me and bring me the Seeker…”_

The familiar haunting voice swiftly filled her senses and rattled her to her very core. She immediately fell to her knees in humble submission to him. “I’m sorry,” she gasped, lowering her head in shame. “I was…confused. I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“Kahlan, what you talking about?” Richard asked with a narrowed gaze as he came to kneel before her. He grasped her face in his hands, her dark eyes glazing over. It was as if someone else altogether different was staring back at him. “Kahlan, what’s wrong? What’s happening?”

_“You have wasted enough time! Come to me now and bring me Richard Cypher…”_

Richard watched in horror as Kahlan began to tremble, blood trickling from her nose. Her eyes flashed blood red before abruptly swirling to black again. The very air around him suddenly became like icy needles prickling his skin and causing the fine hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. 

Despite the blue sky and sun shining hotly above, a sudden fierce wind came out of nowhere, blowing around them and through them. Her raven hair whipped wildly about her face, creating a dangerous air about her.

“Get out of my head!” Kahlan growled, her fingers digging into her skull as the battle raged violently within.

Richard grabbed hold of her arms, desperation an ice cold knife in his chest. “Fight it, Kahlan!” he demanded. “Stay with me…choose me!”

Kahlan growled in pain, roughly shoving Richard away from her. He landed hard on his back several feet away from her, knocking the air from his lungs. She began to rock back and forth on her heels as she fought the changes building inside of her. 

“Kill me, Richard…please…” she pleaded with him as tears began to stream down her face. “Please! Make it stop! End my life now!”

“Kahlan, no!” Richard roared, nostrils flaring as rage rose like a tidal wave in his soul. His hand went to his side, bracing his broken ribs as he stumbled to his feet. “You have to fight this! I know you, Kahlan. You’re the strongest woman I have ever met. You can do this!”

“No…no, I’m not!” she wept, shaking her head. “I can’t…”

“I love you, Kahlan Amnell and I am never going to leave you!” he yelled at her. “Our love can give you strength! You just have to fight him!”

 _“Take him now!”_ Demos roared in her head.

“I…I can’t fight it…” she gasped in pain. Without another word, Kahlan swiftly reached behind her, drawing her dagger and holding it to her chest. “I have to stop this…now…”

“Kahlan, stop!” Richard screamed at her, his eyes wild with terror.

 _“Stop, Kahlan! No!”_ Demos’s voice echoed through her mind as he sensed what she was about to do.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…” she cried, raising the dagger. “Please…forgive me…”

“No! Don’t!” Richard cried as he raced for her, tackling her and slamming her hard onto the ground a heartbeat before she could plunge the blade deep into her chest.

Gritting his teeth against the pain that shot through his side from his broken ribs, he immediately seized her wrist, his iron-like grip keeping her from using the dagger on herself. Panting heavily, Richard used all of his weight to keep her restrained, his fingers digging into her wrists as he pinned her arms to either side of her head.

Kahlan sobbed hysterically, her breaths hiccoughing gasps for air. Her entire body shook beneath him as she arched her back. Sharp piercing pains sliced like hot knives through her head, threatening to drag her into unconsciousness as something so dark and vile oozed within her.

Richard stared down at her, his heart breaking with the turmoil she was going through, so desperate to save her and yet so powerless to do so. He honestly didn’t know how much more of this he could take, being forced to watch her suffer like this and not be able to help her.

“It’s alright,” he repeatedly murmured, tears filling his own eyes as he softly pressed his lips against hers, doing the only thing he could do at that moment. “Don’t ever leave me…please…I love you, Kahlan…”

She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain, against the feel of the Seeker’s body pressing into her, his lips brushing so tenderly against hers. She didn’t know what to think, who she should believe anymore. Her body wanted him so badly she could scarcely breathe, but her mind kept telling her something else, something altogether different…something much darker and twisted that ran like thorny vines through her body and holding her prisoner.

“Just let me die…” she softly sobbed, her tears breaking free and disappearing into her hair.

“Kahlan, you are mine…you must obey me…bring me the Seeker!”

“Kahlan, you’re mine. I’m not going to let you die,” Richard whispered against her lips, his tears falling onto her face and mingling with her own. “You are forever mine. We are bound to each other and nothing can ever sever that.”

“NO!” Kahlan screamed, suddenly knocking Richard off of her.

Kahlan quickly leapt to her feet, drawing her other dagger. She watched Richard as he slowly got to his feet, his hand cradling his side as he warily stared at her.

“I’m not going to fight you, Kahlan,” he breathed heavily, refusing to draw his sword.

His rage was already thrumming through his veins and heating his blood without even touching his weapon. He was too afraid of what would happen if he drew it again, the uncontrollable fury with what was happening to her taking over, threatening to sweep away all logic. He was too terrified of hurting her again.

“You aren’t going to escape your fate,” she bit out as she circled her prey. “Lord Demos wants you.”

Staring at her, he noticed a feral quality to her now, a primal instinct to the way she was moving. It was difficult to believe that this was truly his Confessor, his Kahlan stalking him as if he was her next meal. He fought to keep his breathing even despite the sharp jabs of pain that grabbed his side as he tried to keep some distance between him and Kahlan.

“Kahlan, I’m going to stop Demos,” he finally said, knowing it was the only way to end this once and for all. “You can either come with me or stay here, but I am not going to fight you again.”

Kahlan watched he turned away from her, bending over with a grimace of pain as he picked up his pack. He began to walk away from her, heading in the direction of the People’s Palace. She had definitely not expected him to do this.

Richard’s insides were wound tightly in anticipation of what Kahlan would do next. He did not fear her, never had and never would, but he had no idea how she would react to him walking away from her like this. He silently prayed that somewhere in the tangled dark recesses of her mind she might still remember that he loved her deeply, remembered the love that she had once felt for him.

He hoped that should follow him like she had all day, trusting him despite the suspicions and confusion that toyed relentlessly with her mind. He swallowed hard as he heard her drawing near from behind, fearful for her what was happening to her, not what she could potentially do to him.

Raking his fingers back through his hair, Richard fought the overwhelming urge to turn around and grab hold of her, taking her into his arms and forcing her to remember everything they had meant to each other. 

Just as he was about to turn around, everything suddenly went black.

XXX

Demos released a furious scream as the connection with his Confessor was suddenly broken again. It was growing stronger with every passing day, the link to her mind and the mark she bore binding them together.

“Problem, my Lord?” 

Demos turned to look at Mistress Lucinda standing off to the side watching him. “This isn’t going at all like I had expected,” he sneered. “The spell should have taken complete control of her by now and yet she is still managing to fight it somehow. I don’t understand how this is even possible.”

Lucinda ground her teeth, furious over the fact that the Mother Confessor was even still alive and connected to Demos. Mistress Cyia should have been able to find her by now, killing her and ridding her from their lives for good.

“Maybe there’s something wrong with the spell you used,” Lucinda replied, not caring the least bit about it. Her only concern was keeping Kahlan Amnell away from Lord Demos Rahl.

“There is nothing wrong with the spell,” he suddenly yelled. “It must have something to do with Kahlan. Maybe her Confessor’s magic is somehow weakening it, not allowing it to take hold like it should.”

“There’s not much you can do about it,” Lucinda said, calmly smoothing her hand over her red leather.

Before she knew it, Demos was right there before her, his hand tightly clutching her throat. A sneer danced on his lips as his dark glower rained down upon her. She fought to catch her breath, not moving a muscle as he held her in his fierce hold.

“There is plenty I can still do about it,” he seethed, his breath hot pulsating blasts against her face. It turned her on more than ever.

“Like what?” she whispered, her green eyes locked on his.

“I can go after her, force her into submitting to me,” Demos spat out. “She is mine now and I will be damned if I let Richard keep her from me!”

Demos practically shook with the fury consuming him as he tightened his hold on the Mord’Sith’s throat. He could tell from the flush of her skin that she was as aroused as he was at that moment. He quickly smashed his mouth against hers, kissing her hard and biting her lip even harder.

He released his hold on her throat as she gasped at the feel of his teeth sinking into her lip and drawing blood. Pulling back, she smirked as her tongue slowly dragged along the bite mark, lapping up the blood that trickled free as she stared into his eyes.

“Why are you so obsessed with the Mother Confessor?” she finally asked, surprising herself with her boldness. “Don’t I bring you more than enough pleasure, my Lord?”

Demos smirked, lightly running the tip of his finger along her cheek before finding the visible bite mark on her lip. He raked his fingernail sharply over the small wound and earning a hiss as more blood leaked freely from it.

Leaning in, he lightly licked away the blood, savoring the metallic taste on his tongue. “You provide me plenty of pleasure, Mistress,” he murmured against her lips. “But I want even more.”

Lucinda shivered despite herself, her jealousy rising like a deadly viper within her. “What if I want you for myself?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Demos chuckled softly with her words. “There is plenty of me to go around,” he smirked, his hand settling on the nape of her neck and squeezing hard. 

Lucinda’s heart hardened like rock in her chest with his smug reply. She didn’t want ‘plenty of him to go around’. She wanted him all for herself, not to share with the Mother Confessor. She was going to have to keep Kahlan away from the People’s Palace and from Demos one way or another.

“I can see you’re already recovered from last night,” she gasped as he ground his hips against her, causing her to slowly lose all coherent thought. “The Palace healer did a commendable job. Does that mean you’re up for another few rounds tonight?”

“Maybe later,” he murmured against her throat as he nipped and kissed her skin still red from where he had gripped her. “I need to consult my books to see what’s going wrong with the spell. This could be a long night.”

“Are you sure you don’t want any company?” she seductively purred.

“I’m sure,” he said. “I don’t need any distractions right now.”

Lucinda immediately bristled, enraged by his refusal to stay with him tonight. No one turned her down…not even the mighty Lord Demos Rahl.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 35

Richard’s head rolled to the side as he fought to clear the fuzzy cobwebs from his brain. It was like rising to the top of a muddy lake, finally breaking the surface and drawing a live-saving breath. His head throbbed in time with every beat of his heart, reminding him that he was still very much alive despite the fact he felt anything but.

He groaned softly at the stabbing pain in his side, suddenly being reminded once more of his broken ribs as he attempted to move. He stopped abruptly when he realized he was tied up and wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Focusing his vision, he discovered that they were still in the woods, sheltered beneath the heavy branches of some trees. He knew Kahlan never would’ve been able to carry him so she couldn’t have taken him very far from where she had attacked him from behind.

Looking across from him, he found Kahlan on the other side of the small campfire. She was sitting with her legs drawn up and her arms wrapped tightly around them, her chin resting on top of her knees. There was a distant forlorn expression on her face that tore at his soul as she stared into the dancing flames of the fire. 

The dressing that he’d applied to her forearm this morning was soaked with blood and needed tending to again before it became infected, but at this point he highly doubted that she’d ever let him near her again or untie him until he was face to face with Demos.

She looked so very small sitting there by herself, so lost and alone. He ached so desperately to hold her close to him, to feel her skin soft like the finest velvet pressed against his, her sweet breath warmly brushing against his neck and slowly setting him on fire.

“Are you alright?” he softly asked, afraid of startling her.

Kahlan looked up at him with eyes hard as steel and cold as death itself, her entire visage one of complete and utter darkness. He suddenly knew beyond all doubt that his Kahlan was gone now, possibly forever. He could hardly suppress the sudden influx of white-hot rage and anguish that seethed inside of him, swallowing him whole.

He would not stop, would not rest until Demos was dead, his blade bathed in his brother’s blood.

Kahlan stared at him for a long moment, as if seeing him and yet not. Lifelessness had replaced the spark of love for him that had once shone so brightly there suddenly making the hollow ache that lived inside of him now expand in his chest. She tilted her head slightly as she seemed to suddenly realize that he was there with her, studying him.

He was growing so desperate to heal her, to put his Confessor back to the perfect way that she had been before Demos’s interference in their lives. And he knew that he was the only one who ever could.

“I’m fine,” was her soft response as she straightened up some.

Her voice had lost a measure of the fierceness, some of the dark rage that it had once held. Now, it was raspy, worn with exhaustion. She looked like she could drop at any moment, everything that had happened recently taking a heavy toll on her. 

Fatigue lined every feature of her beautiful face, enveloped her entire body. Dark circles cast shadows beneath her eyes, bruises marring her pale skin. It looked as though she could barely hold her head up any longer. He honestly didn’t know how much more she could possible take now.

“How does it feel to be tied up like an animal, like you’re nothing?” she suddenly asked, bitter smugness permeating her words.

“Kahlan, I didn’t do it to hurt you, but to keep you safe with me,” he attempted to explain. “I untied you because I knew how much it hurt you, reminded you of what your father had done to you when you were a little girl.”

“I don’t need you or your protection,” she coldly stated. “Your concern for me is wasted. You should be more worried about yourself and what Lord Demos wants with you.”

“I don’t care about myself. I’m only worried about you, Kahlan. You need to untie me so I can tend to your arm,” he told her, doing his best to keep his bottled up emotions in check. “I won’t hurt you. I only want to help you.”

“I’m not untying you,” she flatly said, drawing her arm against her body so he could no longer see it. “Besides, my arm is fine.”

“No it’s not fine, Kahlan,” he heatedly replied. “If I don’t take care of it, it’ll become infected if it hasn’t started to already.”

“Why do you care what happens to me?” she asked as she stared frostily at him. “You’re my prisoner and I’m going to take you to your enemy. Why would you want to help me?”

Richard met her glowering gaze fearlessly, his eyes never straying from her. “Because I care about you, love you more than life itself, Kahlan,” he firmly told her. “Look deep inside yourself. The Kahlan I know and love knows that I would gladly lay down my life for her without question.”

He watched as her expression seemed to grow even harder if that was even possible. “She’s gone now,” she bit out, her voice gaining back some of the strength and venom it had been missing earlier. “It’s best you just forget about her, let her go and move on because she’s never coming back.”

“I will never give up on you, Kahlan,” he said, his resolve like steel. “I will save you no matter what I have to do, no matter how long it takes. You will be mine again.” 

“I am taking you to Demos Rahl and you will belong to him,” she stated. “I will no longer matter.”

“I don’t care what you do to me,” he replied. “As long as you’re safe I can survive anything.”

“Your life with her is over,” she snapped. “It’s time you started accepting your future under Lord Demos. I belong to him now, not you.”

“You don’t belong to Demos,” he heatedly said, his control beginning to slip. “He does not own you.”

“He is my master,” she stated, getting to her feet and pacing back and forth. “I must obey him. Whatever he wants from me, I will gladly give him. You can’t interfere with that.”

Richard struggled against the ropes that bound him, desperate to get free, to make her see the truth. “I won’t let him touch you, Kahlan. He doesn’t deserve you. He only wants to hurt you.”

“He told me that he would take care of me, give me everything that I have ever wanted or needed.”

“It’s all lies!” he cried. “Everything that comes out of Demos’s mouth is nothing but lies. You have to believe me…trust me, Kahlan. I love you and want to take care of you.”

Kahlan turned her back to him, holding her head in her hands. “I don’t have to listen to this,” she yelled. “Demos told me you would try to fill my head with lies, try to trick me into trusting you. My master and I share the same thoughts now. He warned me about you.”

“He’s the one lying, Kahlan, not me!” Richard tried again, his rage boiling. “He wants to rape you, degrade you. He’s a vile depraved man who needs to be stopped once and for all.”

With a growl, Kahlan suddenly drew her dagger and stormed towards him. She hauled him roughly up onto his feet, her face a breath away from his. He could feel the cold steel blade of her dagger pressed dangerously against his throat.

He fearlessly met her enraged gaze, not backing down one bit. “He is going to use you, defile you in horrifying ways that you can’t even begin to imagine, Kahlan. And when he’s done with you, he’s going to toss you aside like a piece of garbage.”

She glowered at him, her breath hot furious pants against his face as the blade of her dagger began to bite at his skin. He wasn’t the least bit scared of her or what she could do to him. All he knew was that he needed to reach her somehow, find what little bit of Kahlan was still left inside of this woman standing before him. 

Their bond was too powerful, too all-consuming to be completely gone, wiped away from her heart by some magical spell. He felt it, lived and breathed it. It was still alive in his soul and he knew it had to be in her as well. He just had to get her to find it, to acknowledge it.

“I should end your life right here for saying such things against my master,” she spat out.

“I’m not afraid of you, Kahlan,” he evenly stated. “I know you aren’t in control right now, but I know there is still a small piece of you in there somewhere, a part of you that still loves me.” 

“You mean nothing to me,” she suddenly grinned wickedly, sending an icy shiver racing up his spine. “I couldn’t care less if you live or die. All I care about is Lord Demos and serving him. He wants you for his own purpose. That is the only reason I let you live. Pleasing him pleases me.”

With that, Kahlan shoved him forcibly to the ground, earning a painful gasp as Richard attempted to roll onto his side. Every breath he drew just caused the pain in his side to intensify, but he couldn’t worry about his broken ribs right now. He had worse things to deal with like saving Kahlan.

“Get some sleep,” she told him. “Tomorrow you meet Lord Demos and I will finally be reunited with my master.”

Gritting his teeth, Richard forced himself to sit up, the stitch in his side making him lightheaded. Leaning back against a tree, he squeezed his eyes closed, taking shallow breaths to try to ease the pain. Glancing at her through slitted eyes, he watched as she curled up against a tree directly opposite him.

Keeping her dagger clutched tightly in her hand, Kahlan glared at him. “This would be much easier for you if you would just give up on saving me.”

“I don’t want easier,” he softly said, doing his best to control his breathing. “I only want you.”

“You will never have me again,” she stated, her voice losing some its fierceness again as she drew her knees up to her chest.

“I’m never giving up on you,” he replied as he closed his eyes. “I love you too much to lose you. We were meant for each other, meant to be together, Kahlan. Nothing could ever change that.”

Kahlan stared at him as he sat there with his eyes closed. She didn’t know how to respond anymore, the Seeker having an answer for everything she threw at him, one that never wavered. The more she yelled and the angrier she got, the more love shown in his eyes and filled his words.

He truly was not afraid of her, not even when her dagger was pressed into his throat about to slice it open in less than a heartbeat. She had felt the handle of her weapon so hot in the palm of her hand, so ready to end his life.

And then something inside of her stopped her, something that she didn’t quite understand. She would never admit it to him, but there was something about him that affected her deeply in her core. Demos may have control of her mind, but for some reason she couldn’t explain, the Seeker had control of her heart.

XXX

Cara paced furiously outside of the Spirit House, her hands on her hips and her lips pursed into a frown. Odo had been in there with Zedd for what felt like an eternity. The healer had come back to check on his patient, only to find him no better than he had been this morning.

Cara swore if something didn’t start turning around soon, she was going to lose her mind. Everyone was in trouble but her and now she was the one left trying to hold everything together. She had no clue where Richard and Kahlan were or if they were ever coming back. They needed to leave here soon and find them, but Zedd was in no condition to travel yet.

“How are you holding up?”

The Mord’Sith turned to find Tolla Nakunam coming towards her, a worrisome look on his face. “I’ve been better,” she bit out, her voice edgier than she had intended. She immediately regretted her tone, but she couldn’t help it. She was too concerned about the others to worry about it now.

Tolla didn’t seem to take offense as he came to stand with her. “Odo is the best healer there is,” Tolla told her. “He’ll be able to help Zedd feel better soon.”

“I hope so,” she huffed. “Richard will have my head if anything happens to his grandfather.”

“You are very protective of Seeker Richard, aren’t you?” he asked with a smile.

“He saved my life when my Sisters turned on me, beat me and left me for dead,” she admitted, her voice losing a little of the fire. “I pledged my life to protect his. I know that losing Kahlan or Zedd would be worse to him than losing his own life.”

“He is very lucky to have a friend like you,” Tolla nodded.

Cara considered him for a long moment before finally responding. “Why aren’t you scared of me like the others?” she asked.

“What others?”

“Everyone else in the village cowers away from me or runs in the other direction expect for you, Mitta, and Odo. Why do you accept a Mord’Sith into your village after what we tried to do to you?”

Nakunam’s forehead creased, his brow knitting together in thought. “What happened is in the past and that is where it shall remain,” he began to explain. “I want a better future for my children and my children’s children, one that involves peace with others, one without violence. 

“Besides, Richard trusts you with his life, allows you to travel with him so you must not be the threat that you once were.”

“You can’t trust every Mord’Sith you meet,” she warned him. “There are still many of my Sisters who have not changed, ones who are deadly and will follow the new Lord Rahl’s orders to the fullest no matter the consequences.”

“If it comes to that again, we will defend ourselves, but in the meantime, we’d like to be a peaceful village,” he informed her.

Just then, they both turned at the sudden sound of shouting. They noticed Hadi storming through the village with a deadly glare that could only be matched by Cara. Temin was chasing after him, yelling at him to stop, but the enraged warrior refused to acknowledge him.

“Hadi! Wait!” Temin yelled. “Let me explain!”

“There is nothing to explain. Pasha has made her decision and it is not me,” Hadi seethed like a volcano about to erupt.

Pasha suddenly emerged behind Temin. “Hadi, I just don’t share your feelings,” she tried to explain. “I love you like a brother, not a mate. Please try to understand.”

“You could learn to love me like a mate if you truly wanted to,” Hadi growled. “You won’t even give me a chance, Pasha. The least you could do is allow me a chance to win your heart.”

“Hadi, I love Athanas,” she told him, tears brimming in her eyes. “I wanted you to be happy for me, Hadi.”

“How can I be happy for you when you have just torn my heart from chest, Pasha?” he hissed. “A spear couldn’t have hurt nearly as bad as this does. I have loved you for so long and now you spit in my face and chose someone else.”

Pasha stood there staring helplessly at him, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Hadi,” she softly replied. “I wish my feelings were different, but they’re not.”

“Hadi, please try to understand,” Temin pleaded with him, wrapping an arm around his sister’s shoulders. “You will always be a part of our family. You’re like my brother.”

“Is this how you treat your brother? Give your sister to the first man she wants to lift her skirt for?”

“Hadi!” Tolla Nakunam warned as he approached, Cara coming up behind him. “You need to go cool off. Pasha’s decision is final and will be respected as such by the Council.”

“Of course you would take her side over mine,” Hadi spat out. “You trust filth like this Mord’Sith. Why would you take the side of your most trusted warrior?”

Cara immediately went for her agiels hanging at her waist, more than ready for a knock-down drag-out fight now and Hadi was close to the top of the list. Tolla quickly held out a hand to caution her, wanting to avoid a fight if at all possible.

“Hadi, that is enough!” Tolla snapped, his dark eyes flashing with deadly warning. “You have no right to talk about Cara that way. Pasha has made her decision and Temin has agreed to it. You need to accept it now.”

“I don’t have to accept anything!” Hadi yelled before taking off again and disappearing into the dark shadows of the village.

“Hadi!” Tolla Nakunam shouted, taking a step forward only to be stopped by Temin. “Let me talk to him, Tolla,” he said. “He’s my friend. I’m sure I can get him to listen to me.”

“Alright, Temin,” he finally agreed. “But if he does not change his attitude soon, I’m going to have to take action and involve the Council in this. Hadi can’t be allowed to run his mouth like this or allow his temper to rage unchecked.”

“I know,” Temin sighed heavily. “I don’t understand what has changed in him lately, but he is not the same person I grew up with.”

“I’ve seen the changes in him and I don’t know where it’s coming from either, but I will not stand by and allow it to continue,” Tolla informed him.

Temin nodded his head in understanding. “Come, Pasha,” he said, turning towards his sister again and leaving Cara and Tolla alone once more.

“You have your hands full with that one,” Cara shook her head. 

“I know,” Tolla admitted. “I’m afraid things aren’t going to end well with Hadi.”


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 36

Richard followed a little ways behind Kahlan, the Sword of Truth strapped securely to her back. She kept a tight hold on the rope that bound her prisoner’s wrists, leading him like she would a dog.

It reminded Richard of the time that Zedd had transformed Kahlan’s appearance to look like a Mord’Sith in order to save her sister Dennee. It had been unnerving to see her dressed like the deadly but seductive Sister of the Agiel and yet it had been highly erotic to say the least.

It still shocked him even now how arousing it had been when Kahlan had led him around by the chain around his throat, being forced to follow the sensual sway of her leather clad hips as she led him to the prison that held her sister. It had taken everything that he’d had to keep his focus on their quest to save Dennee and off of Kahlan’s perfect form.

He’d never seen that side of her, never realized she could be that domineering and controlling, so very seductive in her every move. It had definitely fed his already erotic dreams that were filled with nothing but her.

Even with the severe direness of their current situation, he found it near impossible to ignore the site of her enticing femininity walking ahead of him. The definite purpose in her stride, the tantalizing movement of her hips, the way her raven hair flowed like an inky river down her back was causing arousal to erupt in the pit of his belly. 

Memories of being held between her gorgeous thighs teased and tormented him with how truly incredible being with her had been. He longed for that passionate connection with her, desperation to love her again heating his core. Spirits, he missed her.

A rough tug on the rope quickly snapped him out of those blissful thoughts, bringing him back to the crisis at hand. Kahlan cast a glance back at him over her shoulder, her expression hard and icy. It somehow did little to quell the fire that burned in his soul for her. Nothing in this world could ever destroy his desire for her, diminish his need for her in any way.

“You need to keep up, Seeker,” she snapped. “The sooner we reach Lord Demos, the better it will be.”

“Yes, it certainly will be,” Richard agreed, anxious to get his hands on his brother and end this once and for all. Even if it cost him his life, Demos would at least be dead and Kahlan would finally be free.

“You really think I’m going to let you hurt Lord Demos?” she asked, not even bothering to turn around.

“Kahlan, you need to trust me,” he replied. “I’m going to save you no matter what it takes.”

“And I will do whatever I have to do to stop you,” she bit out.

Richard couldn’t help the shudder that rolled over him at that moment. The very thought of having to face off against Kahlan again nearly took his legs out from under him, but he was going to have to sooner or later. He just prayed that he’d be able to handle the rage that seemed to eat away at every fiber of his being.

Demos had interfered in their lives long enough. They should be finding the Stone of Tears right now, stopping the Keeper and planning the wedding that he dreamed of having with her. After all that they had been through and sacrificed, the countless times they had risked their lives, they deserved just a small bit of peace and happiness together.

That was all that he wanted – a life spent with her. Why was that so much to ask for? Hadn’t he done enough, given and lost enough already without having her ripped out of his life as well?

He could feel his fury heating, pounding away at his sanity. It was a dark ugly knot that continually lived in his core, expanding and growing harder to control with every passing day. Kahlan didn’t deserve to have this happen to her. She had been through more than enough for two lifetimes already. He wanted her to know nothing but happiness and true abiding love.

After learning of her past, he had sworn to himself long ago that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe, to bring her as much joy and love as he possibly could, making each day brighter and better than the last.

But he had failed her in every way. He had failed to keep her safe from either of his brothers, allowing her to be almost raped by one only to practically escort her right into the bedroom of the other. She had no idea the utter hell that awaited her now.

He felt sick with the thought, bile rising in the back of his throat. He couldn’t let Demos touch her. He’d never be able to live with himself if Demos raped her. It was bad enough knowing what Darken had tried to do to her without dwelling on the vile things Demos no doubt had planned for Kahlan.

What kind of man was he if he couldn’t protect the woman he loved above all else?

He was the damn Seeker of Truth and he couldn’t even save his own Confessor. Hot bitter tears welled in his throat causing it to constrict. He hated himself for what Kahlan was being forced to endure now because he had failed to anticipate this.

He should’ve known that Demos would try something like this, would have another plan to fall back on just in case. He had told Richard that he was prepared for anything and he had made it perfectly clear that he wanted Kahlan for himself.

Richard’s heart suddenly leapt into his throat as the People’s Palace suddenly came into view. They were finally here, one step closer to stopping Demos and getting his Kahlan back. Tears pricked his eyes at the thought of her being safe again, with him where she always should be.

He needed her so desperately. When she wasn’t with him or she was in danger like she was in now, it was like he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t draw enough air to survive. His body, his mind just wanted to shut down, but he kept going for her.

“We’re almost there,” Kahlan smiled broadly at him.

Richard’s chest clenched, wishing more than anything to see the special smile she gave no one but him. It felt like an eternity since he’d seen it last, the beauty of it, the love behind it giving him the strength of a dozen men.

Now, walking towards the unknown future that awaited them, he suddenly felt anything but strong, anything but the powerful Seeker. All that he knew was that Demos was going to die and that he very well might die trying.

XXX

Zedd began to stir, a weary groan filling the Spirit House as the old Wizard finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up only to stop at the feel of a firm hand suddenly against his shoulder.

“Oh no you don’t, Wizard,” Cara grumbled. “You’ve caused me enough trouble the last few days. You just stay put. Odo’s orders.”

“What?” Zedd frowned, scratching the white thatch of hair on his head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“You slept through yesterday and most of today,” she told him. “Don’t you remember anything that’s happened?”

“No,” he murmured, looking around him. “I’m starved. Let’s eat.”

“Now, I know you’re better,” Cara rolled her eyes, sitting back on her heels.

“What was wrong?” he asked.

“You had a bad concussion,” she told him. “Odo saved your life. He cured you.”

“Well, I should go find the man and thank him,” he said.

“No, you don’t,” she insisted. “Don’t force m to use my agiels to keep you down. Odo said I’m not supposed to let you get up until he has seen you for himself.”

“Bags!” Zedd fumed, folding his lanky arms against his chest. “I feel perfectly fine!”

Cara appraised him for a long moment, her lips pursed into a frown. “You do seem more like yourself,” she admitted. “But I can’t let you have a relapse. I need you well so we can go help Richard and Kahlan.”

“Why? What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” she huffed. “That’s the problem. We’re no closer to them than we were two days ago. We need to go after them.”

“Cara, Richard wanted us to stay here and see if we can find a way to save Kahlan,” Zedd reminded her.

“If he went after Kahlan, he should have been back by now,” she scowled. “We’ve been here for almost three days now and still no Richard and Kahlan. I’m telling you something is very wrong.”

“Maybe Richard is having trouble reining Kahlan in,” Zedd supposed, stroking his chin in thought. “The spell has to have taken full control by now. I can’t begin to imagine Richard’s pain especially if he has to try and stop Kahlan from whatever it is Demos wants her for.”

“That’s my point!” Cara cried in exasperation, throwing her hands up in the air. “They need our help and we’re not there. Darken Rahl even told us the key to saving Kahlan was Demos. I’m sure Richard has figured that out by now and is headed there to stop him.

“The problem is can we trust anything that Darken Rahl says,” Zedd grumbled.

“You said yourself that there’s no way to break a marking spell,” she said. “It seems to me to break the spell we need to break the source of the spell and I am more than anxious to do that.”

“I guess you’re right,” he sighed. “Bags! My brain is just not keeping up like it should. Everything is still sort of fuzzy.”

“It’s a good thing you have me than,” Cara smugly replied.

“Do you think Tolla Nakunam will help us get to Richard?”

“I think so,” she nodded as she got to her feet. “He’s genuinely concerned for Richard and Kahlan and wants to help. The only one we need to watch is Hadi. He’s on his own personal war path right now. I pity anyone who gets in his way next.”

“That bad?” Zedd asked, getting to his feet to test his legs. He was pleased to find they weren’t as wobbly as they had been before.

“You missed a major blow up last night,” she told him. “Evidently, the girl he’s in love with chose another to be her mate. It didn’t go over well at all.”

“I imagine not,” he winced. “That boy has got a hot head. Everyone better take cover when he finally blows.”

“I’m more than happy to be the one to tame him,” she smirked.

“I’m sure you could, my dear,” he nodded his head in agreement.

“I’m going to go talk to Tolla and see if he’d be willing to send a few warriors with us to go after Richard and Kahlan,” Cara told him as she started towards the door. “You need to rest while I’m gone. I’ll let Odo know you’re finally awake.”

“Do you think it’s wise to take any one with us?” he suddenly asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

Care paused to look back at him. “Why? What do you mean?”

“If Kahlan is no longer in control of herself, she will be even more dangerous now than ever,” he explained. “She will confess anyone and everyone who tries to get in her way. The only person who can be near her right now is Richard.”

“It’s just a risk we’re going to have to take,” she simply stated. “Richard and Kahlan need us now more than ever and I’m not going to turn my back on them just because I might get confessed.”

A smile of pride spread across Zedd’s face as he stared at her. “I couldn’t agree with you more, my dear,” he grinned.

“I will warn Tolla of the risk and let him decide if they want to help or not,” she replied. “Either way, we leave at first light.”

XXX

Demos could barely control the smile that spread across his face or his excitement as he paced back and forth. Kahlan was finally here, his greatest possession had come to him at last and she had brought his brother.

He knew that Richard would follow Kahlan to the ends of the earth so it was no surprise to him that she had managed to bring him with her. Little did Richard know the plans that he had in store for both of them.

He had sent Egremont to bring them to him quite some time ago. He was beginning to wonder what was taking him so long. His whole body was humming with anticipation, knowing that Kahlan was going to finally be his tonight.

He was going to drive her into a heated frenzy and make her scream his name over and over again for all to hear while Richard watched. He’d be forced to watch as Demos raped Kahlan again and again and there was absolutely nothing that Richard could do about it.

He could already imagine the pleasure he was going to take from the Mother Confessor, the countless ways that he was going to degrade her and make her scream for his mercy. He could already hear Richard’s desperate pleas for him to stop hurting her, but he wouldn’t. Not for anyone.

He deserved this, had waited for far too long to take Kahlan to his bed. Tonight, she would learn true pleasure that could accompany pain and he was going to be the one to teach her.

He would need a healer on hand as well as Lucinda to give the breath of life should Kahlan not survive what he had planned for her. Of course, Lucinda had gone to the Mord’Sith temple to bring back newly trained Mord’Sith. She had left early this morning, but should be back late tonight.

Demos knew that he could get any Mord’Sith to give the life-saving breath to Kahlan if needed, but he wanted Lucinda to be there with him as well when he broke the Mother Confessor. She was the only one who would truly appreciate it.

“My Lord,” General Egremont called as he entered the large room. “The Seeker and Mother Confessor.”

Demos turned to find Kahlan standing there before him, a rope in hand that led to his brother Richard. A wicked smile played on his lips as he stared at them, savoring the victorious moment.

The Mother Confessor stood humbly before him, her head bowed in submission. The mighty Seeker stood behind her and off to the side. He looked beaten down, broken. He could only imagine his shock when Kahlan suddenly turned on him, taking him prisoner and shattering his whole world along with all his hopes and dreams of a future with her.

“Kahlan, you’ve done well,” Demos praised her as he came to stand before her, his hands clasped behind his back.

She had been wounded, numerous bruises and agiel burns marring her pale skin making him wonder what had happened to her. Despite all of it, she was still breath-taking to behold.

“Were you attacked by Mord’Sith?”

“Yes, my Lord,” Kahlan replied, keeping her gaze lowered. “Twice, but I was able to defeat them with the Seeker’s help.”

“I never sent them to attack you,” Demos angrily snapped. “Do you know why they attacked you?”

“No, my Lord,” Kahlan shook her head.

“One of them told me their leader had sent them to kill Kahlan so that she couldn’t make it here to you,” Richard suddenly interjected, not wanting to give away too much about what he had learned from the Mord’Sith.

“I never sent them,” he bit out. “I want Kahlan here with me. Why would I put a spell on her only to have her killed?”

“I don’t know,” Richard ground out. “Why would you? I would’ve thought that someone like you would be in better control of your faithful Mord’Sith.”

With a move that shocked both men, Kahlan suddenly turned, back-handing Richard hard across the face, the cracking sound of her hand connecting with his skin echoing throughout the large room.

Rage immediately oozed through the Seeker like hot lava, scorching everything it touched. He clenched his teeth against the painful sting, doing his best to quell the fire blazing inside of him. All he wanted to do was let it run rampant, to save Kahlan and destroy all of those who got in his way…starting with Demos Rahl.

Demos watched as his brother practically trembled with the fury that pulsated through his veins at that moment. He was almost afraid of him…almost.

“Very good, Kahlan,” he gloated as he slowly sauntered his way around his personal Confessor, his hungry eyes appraising her sensuous form.

Richard’s nostrils flared, his breathing growing ragged with the way that Demos was staring at her, the vile lust that darkened his eyes. He was desperate to feel his blade plunging deep into his brother’s chest, but he knew he would have to bide his time at least for the moment.

Demos reached out a hand, allowing his fingers to lightly trace along her arm and up over her shoulder, along her collarbone and down between the valley of her breasts. Kahlan stood perfectly still, a small smile on her lips knowing that her master was pleased with her.

Richard ground his teeth, clenching his jaw as Demos stroked Kahlan’s breast, his lips finding hers and kissing her firmly. Kahlan responded to her master’s passionate kiss, further enraging her Seeker despite the fact that he knew she was under a spell. It didn’t make the pain of what was playing out before him any less.

Demos pulled back, casting a glance at his brother. “Everything I dreamed she would be,” he smugly said, walking past Kahlan to come to stand before Richard.

“I am going to cut your black heart out,” Richard hissed, his raptor gaze boring straight through him.

Demos chuckled softly with his words. “I’m going to have her tonight, Richard, and you’re going to watch as I take her over and over again,” he told him. “I’m going to make her scream my name for you to hear, but I’m not going to stop there.”

Richard bristled as Demos leaned in closer to him, his brother’s mouth just inches away from his ear. “I’m going to hurt her so very baldy and you won’t be able to stop me,” he continued. “I’m going to steal her purity and make her bleed.”

Richard’s chest began to heave with Demos’s words, his heart thundering with the rage that seethed inside of him. His vision began to blur with the depths of his fury that churned like a violent storm in his soul, threatening to rend him apart.

Without a second thought, Richard suddenly turned and in one swift move wrapped the rope that Kahlan had led him by around his brother’s throat, pulling it tightly and cutting of his air. 

Demos was finally his.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Chapter 37

Time seemed to drag to a perilous crawl, movements suddenly slow and laborious. Sweat broke out across his brow, nostrils flaring as the violent wraith within thrummed through him.

Richard growled, his face contorted into a sneer of pure rage. He was no longer in control, but the fury that consumed him as well as the desperation to save Kahlan from this vile monster who wanted to hurt her. He couldn’t let that happen, not to his Kahlan.

He pulled harder on the rope as he kept Demos’s back pressed firmly against his chest. He bent backwards, arching his back and pulling Demos off of his feet. He could feel his brother fighting, struggling against the rope and kicking his legs furiously.

Past him, Richard could see Kahlan turning, the look of shock mixed with anger framing her face. With a scream of rage, she drew the Sword of Truth, its familiar ring filling the air. He internally cringed at the site of his weapon in her hands. He knew how the magic infused within his sword twisted and perverted his anger, what it cost him to carry it. He didn’t want that for her…ever.

Demos continued to kick and struggle, gasping for air and clawing at the rope around his neck. His face was turning red as he tried desperately to break free. In his attempt to humiliate and goad his brother, he had momentarily dropped his guard and it had cost him dearly.

Kahlan ran at the brothers, sword gripped tightly in trembling hands. “Let him go!” she screamed.

“Stay back, Kahlan!” Richard snarled at her, turning so Demos remained between him and his Confessor.

“I won’t let you kill my master!” she cried, pointing the sword directly at Demos and Richard. “Let him go now!”

“Kahlan!” Demos gasped, a hand reaching out towards her in desperation as he began to lose consciousness.

Richard’s fingers were beginning to tingle and go numb as he gritted his teeth against the aching in his muscles, fatigue quickly settling into every fiber. Even though Demos was almost the same size as his brother, Richard was filled with such blinding rage at that moment there was no stopping or overpowering him now.

“No, he’s my master!” Kahlan screamed at him in horror, unsure of how to stop the Seeker. “I love him!”

Her words nearly stopped him cold, hearing Kahlan voice her love for another man ripping painfully at his heart. He could feel the rope loosen ever so subtly in his hands, his soul suddenly drowning in a maddening sea of anguish.

Demos felt the rope slacken a little, allowing him to draw a brief breath and regaining a small measure of strength. He immediately began throwing his elbow back into the Seeker’s ribs, desperate for escape.

Richard growled as pain shot through his side, Demos’s elbow finding his broken ribs. He panted hard, every exerted breath creating sharp spikes of pain through his side, nearly taking him to his knees, but he tried to block it out.

Demos could feel the rope loosening, giving him hope he was finally getting the upper hand. Gritting his teeth, he threw as much force as he could possible muster into his next blow, his elbow digging in hard and causing Richard to finally release the rope altogether.

Both men fell to the floor, Richard lying on his side curled up in pain and Demos on all fours gasping for air. Kahlan ran to Demos’s side, placing her hand on his back, the Sword of Truth still clutched tightly in her other hand.

“My Lord, are you alright?” she gasped in panic.

“I will be…once I’ve taken care…of my brother,” he managed to choke out.

Richard looked to see Kahlan’s arm wrapped around Demos, helping him to his feet, completely oblivious to him or the pain that he was in. The worry and love that shown so brightly in her blue eyes for her master made him ill to the very core of his being, the horrible ache in his heart suddenly greater than the pain from his broken ribs.

Getting up onto his knees, Richard did his best to catch his breath as he struggled against the rope that still bound his hands. He needed to break free, retrieve his sword from Kahlan and stop Demos before D’Haran soldiers or Mord’Sith suddenly showed up to help their Lord Rahl.

Demos glared down at his brother, his lips twisted in a hateful sneer. “You will pay dearly for that, brother,” he seethed, rubbing his neck. “Or maybe you’d prefer I take my anger out on Kahlan.”

“Don’t you dare hurt her!” Richard furiously growled, panting heavily against the pain.

“I’m not sure what will be more painful for you– causing you physical agony or hurting your precious Kahlan,” he grinned wickedly at him before turning his attention to the beautiful Confessor standing beside him.

Richard fought his way to his feet, near frantic to get his brother away from Kahlan. He would not stand by and allow that depraved animal touch her. He obviously had a twisted infatuation with the fact that he thought Kahlan was still untouched. Little did he know Richard had already been with her several times, explored and reveled in their deep love for one another.

“You should take your anger out on me,” Richard suddenly said, forcing his brother’s attention back on himself. “I’ve already made love to Kahlan. She’s no longer pure.”

Demos’s face abruptly hardened, his dark eyes flashing with fury so hot that Richard knew that his words had hit their mark. “You lie,” he hissed. “There is no way you could have slept with a Confessor and not be confessed.”

“I have…and I’m not,” Richard smugly replied, his arm tucked securely against his side in an attempt to brace his broken ribs.

“That’s impossible!” Demos shouted, his face reddening with rage as his hands balled up into fists. “She is still untouched and I will be the one to take her virtue, not you!”

“Kahlan and I have made love several times before your marking spell ever took full effect,” he told him.

“Is this true?” Demos fumed, turning to Kahlan standing beside him. “Have you been with Richard?”

“I…I don’t remember…” Kahlan frowned, suddenly growing confused as she rubbed her forehead. “He told me that we had, but I…I just don’t remember. I’m so sorry, my Lord.”

“The spell has destroyed her memories, wiped her mind clean. She won’t be able to tell you if we made love or not, but I’m telling you we did,” Richard coldly stated. “Kahlan is mine, not yours.”

“Kahlan belongs to me! I will be the one who takes her virtue…not you!” Demos yelled at him, his chest beginning to heave with the extent of his rage. 

“She already gave it to me,” he told him with a grin filled with true happiness, remembering that beautiful night so clearly in his mind.

Demos practically shook with the extent of his fury, refusing to believe anything that Richard said. “I am going to take Kahlan to my bed and have her any way I please, as many times I want and there is nothing you can do or say that will change that.”

“I will die before I ever let you touch her,” the Seeker ground out, his gaze momentarily flickering to Kahlan who stood silently beside Demos.

Her face was fixed with a wash of different emotions – fear, anger, confusion. It chaotically warred right there before him in her blue eyes – the beautiful eyes he loved, the eyes that no longer held any love for him. It was disconcerting to witness, something he wanted to remedy soon before he went mad.

“You may just get your wish, brother,” Demos hissed, raising his hand out towards him, releasing a blast of magic that immediately knocked Richard onto his back and the air from his lungs.

Richard cried out in pain, arching his back against the sharp knife-like pricks that ripped through his body like tiny claws tearing at his skin. He grabbed at his head, his fingers digging into his skull as lightning bolts exploded in his head. He clenched his jaw, desperate to keep from screaming uncontrollably, refusing to give Demos satisfaction.

And then, the pain was abruptly gone, his body left quivering in the wake of the horrific attack. He gasped for air, pressing his arm against his side to brace his broken ribs as he coughed violently. Every breath he attempted to draw only increased the stabbing pain in his side and yet he couldn’t get enough air.

Demos loomed so large as he stood over him, a dark glower shadowing his features. “If you thought that was painful, just wait until you find out what I really have in store for you,” he gloated, his entire body humming with the powerful magic that was ready and waiting to do his bidding.

The rope around his wrists suddenly gave way, falling uselessly to the floor like it had been removed by invisible fingers and finally setting him free. In an instant, Richard was up on all fours, preparing to lunge at Demos and take him down. This was his one opportunity out of this hell, his once chance to save Kahlan and he wasn’t going to miss it.

Just as he began to lurch forward, Demos unleashed another wave of powerful magic on him that hit him like a ton of bricks, paralyzing him with the agonizing pain that seemed to rip him apart from the inside out. He couldn’t contain the primal scream that tore from his lungs as he fell back down on all fours again.

It felt like he was being burned alive by a thousand agiels, every nerve-ending on fire. He silently begged for unconsciousness to take him, but it would not come no matter how badly he wanted it. His fingers curled into the floor, his nails scraping against the finely polished marble that wouldn’t give way to his need to grab onto something for dear life to help him hold on. He had to hold on for Kahlan.

Tears leaked from his eyes as the pressure built to unbearable levels in his head, his limbs trembling and threatening to give out on him. He thought for certain he would explode at any moment, his body unable to sustain the pain much longer, but there was nothing he could do. He was completely at his brother’s ruthless mercy.

Knowing death was only moments away, Richard forced himself to lift his head to look at Kahlan just one more time, desperate to see her beautiful face, her breathtaking eyes even though they no longer held any love for him. 

He loved her and not just with a superficial love, but something so much deeper, so real and tangible that it filled every fiber of his being, reaching from his head to his toes. He was hers – heart, body, and soul. Always and forever hers. Even if this was to be his end, he would have wanted it no other way, to have known her, love her.

Fighting against the powerful magic that held him hostage, he finally moved his head enough to be able to see Kahlan one last time. Their eyes met in that instant – chestnut brown locking with sapphire blue and time seemed to suddenly grow still, silent. It was as if there was no one with them, only him and her and the love he knew still beat in her heart for him and him for her.

The pain that was ripping him apart seemed to longer be there as he lost himself in those eyes he could so easily drown himself in. He would die a violent death hundred times over just for a glimpse of her smile, to taste her kisses.

Her black eyes were haunting, cold and distant and he found himself begging for just one last look of love from her, one last glimpse of the passion that blazed like a fierce inferno between them.

“I will…always…love you, Kahlan…” he managed to choke out between gasps just before his head finally dropped, unable to fight the force of the magic any longer. “Forever.”

Kahlan stared at the man writhing on the floor before them, the man who had sworn his love to her, his life. She felt something inside of her begin to stir as she watched him suffer at the hands of her master, something sharp and warm and soothing deep in the depths of her heart. 

“You are going to pay dearly, brother,” Demos seethed. “You will beg for death, but I will not allow it to come. You will be mine until I decide you can die. And until then, you are going to bear witness to every little thing I’m going to do to Kahlan. She will finally know what’s like to be with a real man, one that can show her unimaginable pain and pleasure.”

Richard’s guttural screams filled the room, echoing in Kahlan’s ears and in her heart. She tore her eyes away from the Seeker to look at her master, the sneer and rage that contorted his face revealing the depths of his dark wickedness.

The severe spiking pain that had been in her constant companion in her head suddenly began to resurface as she looked down at the Sword of Truth gripped tightly in her hand. Her heart began to hammer wildly in her chest as she looked from the sword to the Seeker dying on the floor before her.

Blood began to trickle from her nose as she gritted her teeth against the lightning strikes of pain that shot through her skull, threatening to drop her to her knees. Her body began to tremble, her vision blurring from the fierce battle warring inside of her once again.

Her muscles were coiled tight, fighting against the unexpected urges suddenly surging through her like an electrical current. She bit her bottom lip, drawing blood as her chest began to heave. She squeezed her eyes closed against the violent onslaught erupting within her.

With a sudden scream of pain, Kahlan swiftly turned, thrusting the Sword of Truth into her master’s abdomen, burying it deep to the hilt. Demos’s eyes immediately widened in utter shock as his hands fell to his side, stunned by Kahlan’s betrayal.

Released from Demos’s magic, Richard collapsed to the cool marble floor, panting heavily as he fought to regain his strength. He looked up to see Kahlan pull the sword from his brother’s body, only to drive it back into him all over again, fury like nothing he’d ever seen before veiling her face.

Demos dropped to his knees, his horrified eyes fixed on the Mother Confessor standing over him now. “Impossible…you…you can’t…” he managed to say as blood began to gurgle up in his throat.

Richard forced himself to his feet, wrapping his arm around his middle to brace his ribs as he staggered to stand beside Kahlan. She stood frozen before her fallen master, the Sword of Truth gripped so tightly in her hands her knuckles were white. Her jaw was clenched, her entire body rigid.

“Kahlan,” he softly said, gently taking the sword from her trembling hands.

Kahlan slowly turned to look into the warm brown eyes of her Seeker, love and understanding beginning to seep into her mind, slowly starting the process of wiping away the spell that Demos has placed on her.

“It’s alright now,” Richard murmured, his hand coming to rest gently against her cheek, relieved to see the magnificent blue of her eyes beginning to push away the black that had been there.

“How?” Demos choked out, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he pressed his hands against the wounds that the Mother Confessor had created.

“Because you may have stolen her mind, but I won her heart long ago,” Richard seethed as he wrapped an arm around Kahlan, his sword clutched firmly in his other hand.

“She’s mine…Kahlan’s mine…” Demos gasped as he collapsed to the floor, death claiming him.

Richard and Kahlan stood staring at him for a moment longer, both trying to process what had just happened. Demos was finally dead, the nightmare over at last. Richard knew he had to get Kahlan out of here now before what they had just done was discovered.

“Come,” he told her, guiding her away from the dead body lying before them. “We’ve got to get out here now before we’re discovered.”

Kahlan allowed him to take her hand in his as she silently went with him, nervously looking back over her shoulder at what she had done. She felt such confusion and conflict still battling within her, knowing that she had done the right thing and yet feeling something else that she couldn’t quite understand.

Darting out a side door, she fought back the nausea roiling in her stomach, the way her legs were fighting to cooperate as Richard dragged out of the room through a side door and into a empty passageway. 

Memories and images began to gradually knit back together, only adding to her already clouded confusion. Both her mind and heart were fraught with so many surging emotions all battling for control of her that she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to think, feel. 

The only thing she was certain of at that moment was the man holding her hand and the love that she felt for him. It was the only thing that made sense to her right then. It was all she had to hold onto.

Making his way down the narrow passageway, Richard could still scarcely believe what had just happened, how Kahlan had somehow been able to break free from the powerful marking spell that Demos had placed on her.

Richard fought back tears rising in his throat, tears that refused to be ignored. Kahlan was finally herself again and she was his. Now, he had just had to find a way to get them out of here before they were caught.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to my fic Revenge, Richard finally has Kahlan safely back with him, but does he really?

Epilogue

Opening his eyes, he found himself in a writhing sea of bodies that seemed to spread as far as the eye could see and beyond even that it seemed. There was a dark, greenish black haze that seemed to fill the air around him, the vile stench of death filling his nostrils and making him gag.

Looking down, he found he was naked just like all those around him. He quickly leapt to his feet, an icy shiver racing up his spine as cold realization began to wash over him. He was in the dark depths of the Underworld, having been betrayed by the Mother Confessor.

Hot rage erupted within him, swearing he would find a way out of here and when he did, Kahlan Amnell would pay dearly for her treachery. He had no idea how Kahlan had been able to break through that marking spell he had placed on her, how she had managed to turn against him like she had.

One thing he knew, though, was that he was going to hunt Richard and Kahlan down to the ends of the earth. No matter how long it took he would find them one way or another. 

And when he did, they would wish they had never been conceived.

“Brother…”

Hearing a voice like his own, Demos turned to find a man who looked almost identical to him walking towards him, dressed in a red robe trimmed in gold. His hands were clasped behind his back, a smirk on his lips. Even though he knew that his twin existed, he had never seen him before this very moment.

“Brother,” Demos spat out as Darken Rahl came to stand before him. It was like looking into a mirror as he gazed into the eyes that were identical to his own.

“So good to finally meet you,” Darken drawled, staring at the man standing before him. “We have much to talk about, Demos.”

“Like what?” Demos stated, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Our brother Richard and the Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell, of course,” Darken calmly replied.

“Can you give me back my life?” Demos asked.

“That is up to the will of the Keeper,” Darken said. “Even though I serve the Keeper, I have no say in death.”

“Then what is there to talk about?”

“Oh but there is very much to talk about when it comes to our mutual enemies,” he told him, folding his arms against his chest. “I think together we can stop them, make them pay for their interference in our lives. Richard killed me, Kahlan killed you. Don’t you think they should pay for their actions?”

“Most definitely,” Demos ground out, finding it disconcerting to hear his own voice coming from another man’s body. “I have a score to settle with Kahlan Amnell.”

“Good, we have much to talk about then,” he smiled darkly.

Darken watched as Demos began to shimmer, his form slowly disappearing right before his very eyes. He smirked at the now empty space where his twin brother had once stood, knowing that he would be seeing him again very soon.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


End file.
